Footage circulating widely in the media has put police in Skopje under pressure, as videos show two young Albanians lying on the ground with their hands tied while being struck by several officers. The case has opened a fierce debate over the limits of the use of force and over what actually happened during the police intervention.
What the footage shows
According to reports, the published videos show four police officers beating the two young men, aged 21 and 23. The young men are reported to have suffered bodily injuries.
The incident is suspected to have happened on October 7, while the videos and photographs were made public on October 9, prompting immediate public and political reactions.
Conflicting versions over the gun and the intervention
One of the most unclear points in the case concerns an official police weapon. According to claims cited by the Democratic Union for Integration, an internal police report states that the young men had taken a police officer’s pistol.
On the other hand, the young men claim that the weapon ended up in their car after police had broken their window. They also claim that during the pursuit police fired their weapons and punctured the vehicle’s tires before the car crashed.
These claims remain unverified and are part of the circumstances expected to be clarified by the investigation.
Interior Ministry reaction
Following the publication of the alleged cases of violence, North Macedonia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that it had ordered Internal Control, Criminalistic Investigations and Professional Standards to review the incident.
According to the official version, the review aims to determine the full circumstances of the case and whether there is responsibility on the part of the police officers involved. The ministry said measures will be taken only after the facts have been verified.
Political pressure for an impartial investigation
The case has also prompted reactions in the Albanian political camp in North Macedonia. BDI and other opposition entities have called for a transparent and impartial investigation, as well as accountability if violations by police officials are established.
Deputy Interior Minister Astrit Iseni has also said that the matter must be fully clarified, stressing that the police uniform carries responsibility for protecting citizens and respecting the law.
Until the results of the internal investigation are released, several essential questions remain open: under what circumstances force was used, what really happened with the service weapon, and whether the intervention exceeded the limits of the law.
For now, the videos have exposed an episode that requires more than formal explanations: it requires full verification and concrete accountability if violations are proven.