Orthodox Easter

Macedonia’s ethnic Albanians were urged to rally again in the capital Skopje on Monday after midday prayers in mosques, raising fears of more unrest after clashes between protesters and riot police over the past several days.

Police said they were investigating on Saturday after 20 officers and several protesterssustained injuries in the previous day’s protests, which spokesperson Ivo Kotevski described as “extremely violent”.

Albanians riot over verdict in quintuple murder case

SKOPJE -- A protest was held in Skopje on Friday in front of a court after six ethnic Albanians were sentenced to life in prison earlier in the week.

The group was found guilty of murdering five Macedonian men in April 2012, just before Orthodox Easter.

Police established a high-profile presence in the city centre on Friday ahead of the demonstration, which is being seen by the authorities as high-risk and a potential flashpoint for violent confrontation.

Alil Demiri, Afrim Ismailovic, Agim Ismailovic, Fejzi Aziri, Haki Aziri and Sami Ljuta were found guilty on Monday of killing five ethnic Macedonians at Orthodox Easter in 2012 and given the longest possible sentence for terrorism offences, life in prison.

The court said that the murder was planned and carried out in a “vicious manner”.

Defence attorney Naser Raufi told the Skopje criminal court in his closing arguments on Thursday that the seven accused had nothing to do with the murder of five ethnic Macedonians during Orthodox Easter in 2012.

Raufi who is the attorney for five of the defendants, all of whom are ethnic Albanians, said they should be released due to “lack of evidence”.

Prosecutor Gordana Geskovska told the Skopje court in her closing arguments on Friday that the murder of five ethnic Macedonians by a group of alleged Albanian extremists during Orthodox Easter in 2012 was an act of terror carried out in order to provoke ethnic strife.

The steel cross, which the authors say will be over 50 metres high, is being speedily assembled in the Skopje municipality of Aerodrom so that it can be opened by Orthodox Easter, celebrated on April 20.