North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski accused attacked Macedonian Bulgarian journalist Vladimir Perev of staging the attack and self-harm, BGNES has reported.

On November 21, in a shop in the center of Skopje, Perev was attacked in front of witnesses and insulted over his materials in defense of Macedonian Bulgarians. The police was informed about the case.

“Someone can get wet in the rain outside and this can be presented as a hybrid attack by the government that threatens the integration process (in the EU). If someone decides to self-harm and this is presented as an attack, hybrid or I don't know what, that's another question,” Mickoski said in response to a journalist's question in Skopje about the attack.

After Mickoski's statement, on the website tribuna.mk public figure Ivon Velichkovski asked: "On what basis does the Prime Minister claim that there was or was not an attack on a journalist, a citizen of North Macedonia, before the Ministry of Interior provided information? .... Now, after Mickoski's statement, it suddenly became irrelevant what the Ministry of Interior would say."

• Hate speech in Skopje has led to an attack on journalist Vlado Perev

Editor: Ivo Ivanov

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photo: BGNES