Intelligence officer and political activist Aleksandar Dinevski has died

Intelligence officer Aleksandar Dinevski, who was a constant feature in Macedonian politics, has died.

Dinevski was part of the “gang of eight” – top Interior Ministry officials from the Communist era who called for reforms in the police and an end to the persecution on political grounds. Later he became active in the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, but was also accused of undermining it from within.

A decade ago he was sentenced to four years in prison for extortion using the access he had to intelligence files. He blamed the VMRO-DPMNE led Government of going after him for political reasons.