The youth organization of the European People’s Party strongly condemned the attack on political prisoners Mile Janakieski and Spiro Ristovski, who were assaulted by members of an Albanian terrorist organization in the Shutka prison in Skopje on Thursday. The two former Government Ministers were arrested as part of the broadening political persecution of former VMRO-DPMNE officials in Macedonia

We condemn the political persecution in the Republic of Macedonia adn the low level of respect for the rule of law in the country, the EPP youth organization said in a resolution, which was proposed by the VMRO-DPMNE youth organization representatives.

The group demands that the judiciary is immediately released from political pressure and that the Government stops abusing it for attacks on its political opponents.

Earlier, VMRO member of Parliament Vladimir Gjorcev raised the issue at an OSCE meeting of EPP parliamentarians, who also issued a statement of condemnation.