English
Hundreds of citizens of Skopje gathered today at the Partizanska boulevard to pay their respect to the young Frosina Kulakova, who was killed by a reckless driver yesterday. Protesters demanded immediate changes to traffic laws and implementation of the safety camera system to try to curb aggressive drivers in the city.
Frosina (22) from Negotino was a designer who studied in Skopje. A 20 year old man from Skopje drove into her in full speed – the man was supposed to be in juvenile detention because of a drug arrest, and the protests also focused on demanding accountability from the judge who allowed him to avoid prison time. The killer, identified as Vasil Jovanov, was ordered into 30 days of detention. The site of the accident is popular with young people who congregate around a popular few cafes and bakeries and is in one of the highest density parts of the city, with the speed limit set at 50 kilometers per hour.
Frosina’s father, Todor Kulakov, who buried his daughter in Negotino today, was in Skopje for the protest. “We have impunity, a total collapse of our society and our children suffer the consequences. I congratulate the people here on their sense of civic duty. I don’t know what your plan is, whether to continue these protests. My advice is to move ahead purely, as a citizens’ association, away from political backgrounds. I wish you success from all my heart”, Todor Kulakov said, adding that his daughter was “a pearl of a child, a top designer, with four years of exhibitions behind her and many awards”.
The Criminal Court issued a statement in defense of judge Daniela Aleksovska – Stojanovska, who allowed Jovanov into a lax security youth correctional facility and not in an actual prison. Jovanov was arrested with 80 packs of amphetamines and he had no prior criminal record. The court insists that it was within the right of the judge to give him the benefit of the doubt. “
As the protests moved before the Parliament building, a demand was made that the police finally activates its “safe city” system of traffic cameras. Even though it was initiated more than a decade ago, the system is still not operational, likely because of fears that mass fining of delinquent drivers would be politically unpopular.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski today expressed his support for the protest and said that the Interior Ministry will activate the system shortly. “Unfortunately a young life was cut in her prime by a savage person who was wilding through our city. The revolt of the citizens is fully justified. One way to overcome all this is through the system that will detect such vandalism”, Mickoski said.
