Following Friday’s verdict in the “27 April” case, the presidential candidate of the opposition said on social media that the fact remains that Macedonia is divided, with ruined institutions and without a sense of justice.

After the selective amnesty and the instrumentalized alteration of the Criminal Code, today’s verdicts are disturbing. In the series of dark dates in the recent Macedonian history,  27 April will be remembered for the scenes of violence. We were all shocked and worried. Today’s verdicts for the persons involved in these events are just the finale of a long process that has shown that the judiciary, law and justice are politically motivated. Instead of a legal and fair process, we saw a process that left dark marks on the judiciary, scenes of improper treatment of defendants, detentions as punishments, bargaining for securing a majority in the Parliament, and finally, draconian sentences. The convicts will seek justice for themselves before domestic and international institutions, but society remains confronted with the bitter feeling of deep distrust in the judiciary and selective justice. The man who opened the Parliament’s door, caught on cameras, walks free. In the shadow are those who asked for amnesty, but they will never forget everything they were exposed to. A world-famous opera singer went through Golgotha, but his courage, cheerfulness and calm smile will be remembered as a symbol of a brave and honest man who is out of the Kafka process. Macedonia remains divided, with ruined institutions, without a sense of justice, reconciliation is reduced to contempt. It’s a long way to get to the rule of law, but we’ll walk it together, Siljanovska wrote on social media.