Skopje: Twenty-nine ethnic Albanians went on trial Tuesday in Macedonia on terrorism charges over clashes last May with security forces that left 18 people dead, including eight policemen.
In the heavily packed courtroom and under tight security, each defendant pleaded "not guilty" to the accusations of their involvement in the shootout in the northern Macedonian town of Kumanovo.
Eighteen of the ethnic Albanian defendants are from Kosovo, 10 are Macedonian citizens and one has German citizenship.
Prosecutors have accused the group of perpetrating "the terror attack on the police in Kumanovo" on May 9-10, 2015, with weapons stolen a month before from a police station in the mountainous village of Goshince, near the border with Kosovo.
The shootout was the worst unrest in Macedonia since a conflict in 2001 between the government and ethnic Albanian rebels seeking more rights for their minority, who make up about a quarter of Macedonia's 2.1 million population.
The violence came amid a deep political crisis in Macedonia, with the opposition and government trading serious allegations, including spying and corruption. The European Union has since brokered a deal on early elections this spring.
AFP
