Ljube Boškoski
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Ljube-slika.jpg/180px-Ljube-slika.jpg)
2001–2002
Čelopek, Brvenica, FPR Yugoslavia
affiliations
Ljube Boškoski (Macedonian: Љубе Бошкоски, Macedonian pronunciation: [ˈʎubɛ 'bɔʃkɔski]; born 24 October 1960) is a Macedonian politician and former Minister of Internal Affairs of Macedonia (now North Macedonia).
He created and led a controversial elite special operations tactical unit of the Macedonian police called Lions in his capacity as Minister of Internal Affairs. Boškoski would later be accused of command responsibility by the ICTY for war crimes in Ljuboten during the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia, but was acquitted of all charges. Upon his return to Macedonia, Boškoski and his backers split from VMRO–DPMNE to form United for Macedonia, but did not win any seats in the parliament in the 2011 parliamentary election.
On 2011, he was arrested by the police, and detained by the court for alleged illegal funding of the election campaign. He served a prison sentence for illegal campaign funding and abuse of office during the 2011 election campaign of his party but was later acquitted in a retrial. Boškoski is also on the United States black list, held by the Office of Foreign Assets Control for "engaging in, or assisting, sponsoring, or supporting extremist violence in the Republic of Macedonia and elsewhere in the Western Balkans region."
Early life and career
Boškoski was born on 24 October 1960, in the village of Čelopek on the outskirts of Tetovo (now in Brvenica municipality, North Macedonia).[1][2] In 1985, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, thereafter working as an apprentice in a court and later as a legal adviser for a health insurance fund in Rovinj, Croatia. During the Serbo-Croat war in the 1990s, he fought on the Croat side.[3][4] Among his associates, he has been known as Brother Ljube.[1] In the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia, he called for an all-out offensive against the Albanian insurgents and created the controversial special police unit called Lions.[5][6][7]
Raštanski Lozja killings
On 2 March 2002, at approximately 4:00 a.m. local time (UTC+1 GMT), six Pakistani citizens and an Indian citizen were shot dead in Raštanski Lozja near the village of Ljuboten, close to the Macedonian border with Kosovo. It was alleged that the men were armed. They were killed by the Lions.[8] Macedonian officials were accused by the Macedonian police of killing the men as an act of further enhancing their status in the War on Terror 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."[9][10]
Boškoski made a statement suggesting that the men were associated with a terrorist group and had planned attacks on the British, American and German embassies in the Macedonian capital of Skopje.[11] On 4 May 2004, he was charged with having instigated the killings which he denied. The parliamentary committee removed his parliamentary immunity and the prosecution demanded his arrest. He fled to Croatia on 4 May, where he also had citizenship. The Macedonian authorities transferred the case to Croatia as he could not be extradited due to his Croatian citizenship.[6] Croatian police arrested him on 31 August.[12][13] On 22 April 2005, the perpetrators of the killings were acquitted of murder.[14] In 2008, Macedonia requested the return of the case.[15] The case was indefinitely postponed by Croatia in 2009.[16] Croatia dropped the charge against him in 2022.[17]
Ljuboten case and aftermath
After eight soldiers were killed when they ran over a mine near Ljuboten on 10 August 2001, he had ordered a police operation against the village during which ten Albanian civilians were killed.[18][19] Boškoski was indicted with Johan Tarčulovski on 15 March 2005. 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." Per the indictment, he "knew or had reason to know that the crimes alleged in this indictment had been committed by his subordinates."[20][21] Along with Tarčulovski, he was charged with three counts of violations of the laws or customs of war: murder, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages and cruel treatment.[20] On 24 March, he was transferred to the ICTY in The Hague.[22]
Boškoski pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. The ICTY trial against him and Tarčulovski started on 16 April 2007 and ended on 10 July 2008, when he was acquitted of all charges against him.[23][24] However, Tarčulovski was found guilty and received twelve years of imprisonment.[25]
When Boškoski arrived at the Skopje Alexander the Great 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 gave a short speech in which he called for brotherhood among the people living in Macedonia. Later that day, he appeared at Pella Square in Skopje and was welcomed by Macedonians who travelled from all over the country to the capital city.[26] On June 2009, he was placed on the United States black list for "engaging in, or assisting, sponsoring, or supporting extremist violence in the Republic of Macedonia and elsewhere in the Western Balkans region."[27] The prosecution filed an appeal against his acquittal. On 19 May 2010, the Appeals Chamber upheld his acquittal and dismissed the prosecution's single ground of appeal.[22][28] According to a 2013 investigation by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Macedonia had spent an estimated 9.5 million euros to defend, support and lobby for him and Tarčulovski.[29]
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 of the Macedonian government.[6] On 31 January 2001, he was named state secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,[2] and on May of the same year, appointed Minister of Internal Affairs by the ruling government.[6] In 2002, while doing an exercise with a grenade launcher, he ended up injuring four people and the Union of Journalists called for his resignation.[30][31] Following the parliamentary election of 15 September 2002 and his party's loss of power, he left his position as Minister of Internal Affairs and became a member of parliament of VMRO-DPMNE. 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 before nomination.[6] Boškoski as an independent candidate took part in the 2009 Macedonian presidential election and ended up fourth out of seven candidates with 145,638 votes (14.87% out of total votes).[32][33]
In May 2009, Boškoski split from VMRO-DPMNE and formed a conservative political party called "United for Macedonia". He criticized Gruevski's politics, accusing him of stalling the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.[34] 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 for allegedly illegally funding his party's campaign.[35] During the arrest, the police alleged that he had 100.000 euros in cash, received illegally, intended for financing of the campaign. According to the police, Boškoski had been followed by them on a court order for two months before the arrest and had received an additional 30.000 euros of illegal funds during this period.[36]
Boškoski was brought in front of a judge, who ordered his 30-day detention, before the trial on charges of abuse of office and illegal financing of a political party.[37] He pled not guilty to all charges.[38] On 29 November 2011, he was convicted of illegal campaign funding and abuse of office, and sentenced to seven years in prison.[39] 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 would bring the case to the international courts.[40] Boskoski appealed against his prison sentence in 2012, insisting that the case was politically orchestrated by the government of Nikola Gruevski.[38] In the next year, he brought a lawsuit against Macedonia to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), stating that the case violated his human rights.[41] He was released from prison in 2016.[42] In 2020, ECHR determined that his rights to a fair trial were violated, ordering that he be paid 4,500 euros for non-material damage and 1,220 euros for expenses.[43] At the request of his lawyers, the case was retried and he was acquitted in 2023.[44]
References
- ^ a b Dimitar Bechev (2019). Historical Dictionary of North Macedonia (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 57, 336. ISBN 9781538119624.
- ^ a b Makedonska enciklopedija: A-LJ. MANU. 2009. p. 201. ISBN 9786082030234.
- ^ "Macedonia: Boskovski Threatens Peace". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 18 October 2001.
- ^ Roger D. Petersen (2011). Western Intervention in the Balkans: The Strategic Use of Emotion in Conflict. Cambridge University Press. pp. 291–292. ISBN 9781139503303.
- ^ "Macedonia: Lions Menace Ends". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 6 September 2005.
- ^ a b c d e "Presidential Candidates". Balkan Insight. 6 March 2009.
- ^ "Rise and Fall of Macedonia's Nationalist Showman". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 18 November 2005.
- ^ "Macedonia: Unlawful killings must be investigated". Amnesty International. 5 May 2004. Archived from the original on 10 November 2006.
- ^ "Seven Pakistanis were killed to please US: Macedonia". Dawn. 2 May 2004.
- ^ "Pakistanis 'murdered to impress Americans'". The Irish Examiner. 1 May 2004.
- ^ "Macedonia: Police In Shootout With 'Suspected Terrorists'". Radio Free Europe. 4 March 2002.
- ^ Robert Bideleux; Ian Jeffries (2007). The Balkans: A Post-Communist History. Routledge. pp. 453–454. ISBN 9781134583287.
- ^ "Croatia Arrests Former Macedonian Minister". Radio Free Europe. 31 August 2004.
- ^ "Macedonia men cleared of murder". BBC. 22 April 2005.
- ^ "Ex-Minister 'Should Stand Trial in Macedonia'". Balkan Insight. 15 July 2008.
- ^ "Croatia Court Postpones Boskoski Trial". Balkan Insight. 3 February 2009.
- ^ "Отфрлено обвинението против Љубе Бошкоски за "Раштански лозја"". Makfax (in Macedonian). 8 June 2022.
- ^ Vasiliki P. Neofotistos (2012). The Risk of War: Everyday Sociality in the Republic of Macedonia. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 167. ISBN 9780812206562.
- ^ "Macedonia Crimes Against Civilians: Abuses by Macedonian Forces in Ljuboten, August 10-12, 2001". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Indictment against Ljube Boskoski and Johan Tarculovski Made Public". International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 15 March 2005.
- ^ "Boskovski before The Hague". Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa. 23 April 2007.
- ^ a b "Appeals Chamber Affirms Conviction of Johan Tarčulovski and Acquittal of Ljube Boškoski". International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Former Macedonian Minister Faces War Crimes Tribunal". Radio Free Europe. 16 April 2007.
- ^ Trial Watch: Ljube Boskoski Archived 2010-01-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Court clears Macedonian ex-minister of war crimes". Reuters. 10 July 2008.
- ^ "Брат Љубе ја бакна македонската земја". Dnevnik (in Macedonian). 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
- ^ "Eleven Macedonians On US Black List". Balkan Insight. 24 June 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ "ICTY: Tarculovski Conviction Upheld, Boskoski Acquitted". Balkan Insight. 19 May 2010.
- ^ "How Ex-Yugoslav States Funded War Crimes Defendants". Balkan Insight. 23 December 2013.
- ^ "Macedonia minister 'shoots three'". BBC. 15 May 2002.
- ^ "In the line of fire". The Guardian. 24 June 2002.
- ^ "Presidential elections 2009" (PDF). Republic of Macedonia – State Election Commission. 23 March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2009.
- ^ "Macedonia's Boskoski Accuses VMRO". Balkan Insight. 17 March 2009.
- ^ "Macedonia: Boskoski Forms New Party". Balkan Insight. 28 May 2009.
- ^ "News Uncertainty Shadows Jailed Macedonian Ex-Minister's Release". Balkan Insight. 8 March 2016.
- ^ "OM leader Boskoski detained (SUP)". MIA. 2011-06-06. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
- ^ "Macedonia Press Review – June 8, 2011". Balkan Insight. 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
- ^ a b "Macedonia's Boskoski Appeals For Release". Balkan Insight. 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Former Macedonian Police Minister Jailed". Balkan Insight. 29 November 2011.
- ^ "Macedonian former interior minister sentenced to 7 years in prison – 30 November 2011". Xinhua. 2011-11-29. Retrieved 2011-12-02. [dead link]
- ^ "Ex-Police Minister Sues Macedonia in Strasbourg". Balkan Insight. 13 November 2013.
- ^ "Former Macedonian Interior Minister Boskovski released from prison". bne IntelliNews. 5 June 2016.
- ^ "Бошкоски немал правично судење, пресуди Европскиот суд за човекови права". Radio Free Europe (in Macedonian). 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Ljube Boshkoski acquitted in 'Campaign' case". MIA. 22 February 2023.
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by | Minister of Internal Affairs 2001–2002 | Succeeded by |
- v
- t
- e
- Mijalkov
- Frchkoski
- Chokrevski
- Trajanov
- Dimovska
- Boškoski
- Kostov
- Avramovski
- Mihajlovski
- Jankuloska
- Chavkov
- Spasovski
- Chavkov
- Andonov
- Spasovski
- Nuhiu
- Spasovski
- Chulev
- Spasovski
- Toshkovski
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Macedonian_Police_insignia.png/60px-Macedonian_Police_insignia.png)