VMRO-DPMNE official Antonio Milososki says that the author of the highly controversial attempt to extend the legal definition of slander and insult to cover mere “expression of negative opinion” is former Justice Minister Vlado Kambovski. The Justice Ministry was forced to withdraw the proposal following public outrage. Kambovski was a top judicial official in Communist Yugoslavia, at a time when dissidents were routinely prosecuted.

Things become clearer when we see who is in the group drawing out these reforms. What Kambovski failed to do in the previous period he now tries to implement under a European flag. It’s not enough for Justice Minister Nikola Tupancevski to withdraw this article – he needs to replace its author and remove him from the reform group, Milososki said.

The proposal was roundly criticized in the public as an attempt by the Government to ban free speech.