Krsto Mukoski, one of the eight members of Parliament expelled from VMRO-DPMNE after voting to open the process to rename Macedonia, said that he believes the deserves amnesty under the law he helped pass in Parliament.

Mukoski was charged with terrorism over the April 2017 incident in the Parliament, and was only released from detention on the day when he agreed to vote to begin amending the Constitution, in a move which raised concerns of political influence over the judiciary. With the other members of Parliament, most of whom are charged in this or other cases, Mukoski negotiated with the Government to pass the law which will give amnesty to a number of political prisoners. While talks were on-going, a company owned by Mukoski’s brother received a major Government contract worth nearly 700.000 EUR, in another move believed to be made to get Mukoski to vote for the name change.

Some of those charged in the case, like Jane Cento, grandson of the Macedonian World War Two military commander who was later persecuted by the Communists, or Igor Jug, said they will not ask for amnesty. The defendants have until tomorrow to submit their requests, which will then be evaluated by the court and the prosecutors. A total of 33 people are charged in the case, and some two dozen are believed to be eligible for amnesty.