Albanian protesters who gathered in downtown Skopje today demanded international investigations in several criminal cases involving ethnic Albanian murderers. The protests were sparked by the death of Rexhail Qerimi, member of a gang that killed a police officer in a botched raid in 2008 and injured two more. The officer that was killed was also an ethnic Albanian.

Qerimi died in prison in Skopje, from apparent stroke. Several hundred family members and Albanian opposition party activists gathered after the Friday prayer, repeating a common claim – that murders perpetrated by Albanian criminals are in fact the work of someone else.

We informed the international community about the circumstances of what happened. These trials were staged. The suspicious death of Rexhail Qerimi won’t end here, said protest organizer Nagip Jonuzi.