Ljube Boškoski ( mk, Љубе Бошкоски, ) (born 24 October 1960 in
Čelopek,
Brvenica Municipality
Brvenica ( mk, , sq, Komuna e Bërvenicës) is a municipality in the northwestern part of North Macedonia. Brvenica is also the name of the village where the municipal seat is found. Brvenica Municipality is part of the Polog Statistical Regio ...
,
SR Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia ( mk, Социјалистичка Република Македонија, Socijalistička Republika Makedonija), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia or Yugoslav Macedonia, was ...
, now
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
), known among his supporters as "Brother Ljube" ( mk, Брат Љубе, Brat Ljube), is a Macedonian politician and former
Minister of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia.
He supervised an elite
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
tactical unit of the
Macedonian police in his capacity as Minister of Internal Affairs. Boškoski would later be accused of "superior responsibility" by the
ICTY
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try their perpetrators. The tribuna ...
for alleged
war crimes, but was acquitted of all charges. Upon his return to Macedonia, Boškoski and his backers split from
VMRO–DPMNE
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity ( mk, Внатрешна македонска револуционерна организација – Демократска партија за ...
to form
United for Macedonia which was considered a serious contender in the
2011 parliamentary election, but did not win any seats in the
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...
.
On 6 June 2011, one day after the election, he was arrested by the police, and detained by the court for alleged illegal funding of the election campaign. Currently he is in prison, serving a seven-year sentence for illegal campaign funding and abuse of office during the 2011 election campaign of his party.
Boskovski is also in the United States black list, held by the
Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the U.S. Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy ...
for "engaging in, or assisting, sponsoring, or supporting extremist violence in the Republic of Macedonia and elsewhere in the Western Balkans region".
Biography
Boškoski was born on 24 October 1960, in the village of
Čelopek,
Brvenica municipality
Brvenica ( mk, , sq, Komuna e Bërvenicës) is a municipality in the northwestern part of North Macedonia. Brvenica is also the name of the village where the municipal seat is found. Brvenica Municipality is part of the Polog Statistical Regio ...
, on the outskirts of
Tetovo
Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...
. In 1985, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at the
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; ...
, thereafter working as an
apprentice
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
in a
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and carry out the administration of justice in Civil law (common law), civil, C ...
and later as a legal adviser for a health insurance fund in
Rovinj,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
.
Raštanski Lozja Incident
On 2 March 2002, at approximately 4:00 a.m.
local time (
UTC+1
UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2019-02-07T23:28:34+01:00. This time is used in:
*Central European Time
*West Africa Time
*Western European Summer Time
** B ...
GMT), six
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
i
citizens
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
and an
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
n citizen were shot dead in Raštanski Lozja near the village of
Ljuboten, close to the Macedonian border with
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Eur ...
. It was alleged that the men were armed. They were shot by the
Lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
, an elite
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
tactical unit formed during the
2001 Macedonia conflict to aid against acts of
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
and for emergency deployment in rural combat areas.
Macedonian officials were accused of killing the men as an act of further enhancing their status in the
War on Terror
The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
which the Macedonian government supports. It was alleged that the men were killed "to impress the
US". The Macedonian police spokeswoman Mirjana Konteska said the killings were "an act of a sick mind" and that they had "lost their lives in a staged murder."
Boškoski made a statement suggesting that the men were associated with a
terrorist group
A number of national governments and two international organizations have created lists of organizations that they designate as terrorist. The following list of designated terrorist groups lists groups designated as terrorist by current and fo ...
and had planned attacks on the
British,
American and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
embassies
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
in the Macedonian capital of
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; ...
.
Boškoski was charged with a superior responsibility for the criminal acts of his subordinates. It is alleged that he knew or should have known that the crimes had been committed by his subordinates during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten on 12 August 2001 but did nothing to punish the perpetrators.
Boškoski was indicted with Johan Tarčulovski. He faces charges on the basis of individual criminal responsibility with violations of the laws or customs of war including murder, wanton, destruction of cities, towns or villages and cruel treatment. The trials of Boškoski and Johan Tarčulovski started on 16 April 2007 and closing arguments took place on 6 and 8 May 2008. Boškoski pleaded not guilty to all the charges. On 10 July 2008, Trial Chamber II found Boškoski not guilty of all charges.
On 6 August 2008, the Prosecutor filed its Notice of Appeal against the Trial judgement of July 2008. On 19 May 2010 the Appeals Chamber delivered its judgement in the appeal of Tarčulovski and Boškoski. The Appeals Chamber found that it was not shown that Boškoski had failed to take the necessary and reasonable measures to punish his offending subordinates. The Chamber stated that, in the circumstances of the case, it was open to a reasonable trier of fact to acquit Boškoski of failure to punish, on the basis of reports about the events described in the indictment which had been provided by the Ministry of Interior to the competent judicial authorities. The Appeals Chamber dismissed the Prosecution's single ground of appeal against Boškoski’s acquittal.
Trial and aftermath
Boškoski was detained in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
in August, 2004, after he was stripped of parliamentary immunity by
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
. In December of that year, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (
ICTY
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try their perpetrators. The tribuna ...
) published an indictment against him and
Johan Tarčulovski
Johan Tarčulovski (born 17 November 1974), is a Macedonian soldier, politician and former security inspector for Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski. Tarčulovski participated in the 1990s insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia.
Career
Tar� ...
.
In March, 2005, he was transferred to the
ICTY
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try their perpetrators. The tribuna ...
in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's ad ...
. Boškoski and Tarčulovski were charged with violations of the laws or customs of war during the
2001 Macedonia conflict — a "civil war" between
ethnic Albanian
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serb ...
members of the
NLA and the
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...
security forces such as the
Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
in 2001, during which, Boškoski was Minister of Internal Affairs.
According to the indictment, between Friday 10 August 2001, and Sunday 12 August 2001, a land offensive was launched by Macedonian
security forces against ethnic Albanian civilians and property in
Ljuboten, a predominantly Albanian village.
According to the tribunal, Boškoski, in his capacity as Minister of the Interior, "had ''de jure'' and ''de facto'' command and control over the members of the police forces which took part in the alleged crimes." The tribunal also claims that "Boškoski knew or had reason to know that the crimes alleged in this indictment had been committed by his subordinates."
The ICTY trial against Boškoski started on 16 April 2007, and ended on 10 July 2008, he was acquitted of all charges against him. However, Tarčulovski received 12 years imprisonment.
When Boškoski arrived at
Skopje Alexander the Great Airport
Skopje International Airport ( mk, Меѓународен аеродром Скопје, translit=Megjunaroden aerodrom Skopje, ), also known as Skopje Airport ( mk, Аеродром Скопје, translit=Aerodrom Skopje), and Petrovec Airport ...
on 11 July 2008, he symbolically kissed the ground and was welcomed by women in traditional Macedonian clothes, and by the prime minister
Nikola Gruevski. With tears in his eyes, he held a short speech in which he called for brotherhood among the people living in North Macedonia. Later that day, he appeared at
Pella Square
The Pella Square ( Macedonian: Плоштад Пела, ''Ploštad Pela'') is one of the main squares of Skopje, the capital city of North Macedonia.
It is located in Centar Municipality, near the city's main square, Macedonia Square. The squa ...
in
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; ...
and was welcomed by Macedonians who travelled from all over the country to the capital city.
Political career
After the parliamentary elections in 1998 and the success of
VMRO-DPMNE, Boškoski was named deputy-director of the Directorate for Security and CounterIntelligence — the domestic
intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives.
Means of informa ...
of the Macedonian government.
On 31 January 2001, he was named state secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and on May 15, of the same year, appointed Minister of Internal Affairs by the ruling government. Following the
parliamentary election of 15 September 2002, he was dismissed from his position as Minister of Internal Affairs and became a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...
.
In April, 2004, Boškoski nominated to run in the presidential elections and had previously collected 10,000 signatures as is required of potential candidates. The State Electoral Commission invalidated his candidacy as he had not fulfilled the requirement that all presidential candidates live in the country for 15 consecutive years prior to nomination.
Boškoski as a candidate took part in the
2009 Macedonian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Macedonia in 2009. The first round was held on 22 March, alongside local elections. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a run-off round was held on 5 April 2009, which was won by Gjorge Ivanov o ...
and ended up fourth out of seven candidates with 145,638 votes (14.87% out of total votes).
In May 2009, Boškoski formed a political party with the name "United for Macedonia".
Illegal party funding
On 6 June 2011, one day after the
2011 election, on which United for Macedonia did not win any parliamentary seats, Boškoski was arrested by the police on suspicions of using illegal funding for his party's campaign. During the arrest, the police alleged that he had 100.000 Euro in cash, received in an illegal way, intended for financing of the campaign. According to the police, Boškoski had been followed by them on a court order for two months prior to the arrest, and had received additional 30.000 Euro of illegal funds during this period.
The next day, Boškoski was brought in front of a judge, who ordered his 30-day detention, pending trial on charges for abuse of office and illegal financing of a political party. Supporters of Boškoski deny the charges and claimed that his arrest was politically motivated by his political opponents.
Following a trial, on 29 November 2011 he was convicted of illegal campaign funding and abuse of office, and sentenced to 7 years in prison. The main opposition party and his supporters accused the government of interfering in the judicial process, and the police of framing Boškoski and putting him in jail because of his fierce criticism of the government in his campaign speeches. Boškoski's family also stated that the verdict was politically motivated and that they will bring the case to the international courts.
References
External links
Official websiteWebsite dedicated to Ljube Boškoski(Video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boskoski, Ljube
1960 births
Living people
People from Brvenica Municipality
People indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
People acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Government ministers of North Macedonia
VMRO-DPMNE politicians
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje alumni
Macedonian nationalists
Macedonian criminals