Skopje - © posztos/Shutterstock
Every year, dozens of pedestrians are hit on roads in North Macedonia. The recent death of a student in Skopje has sparked strong street protests, demanding regulations to make the country's roads safer
In the middle of the cold winter of February, citizens of North Macedonia came out to protest, angry at the judicial system, because of the many people losing their lives in traffic accidents, while drivers get away with low fines.
Many in the country believe that the widespread impunity is also the main reason for the unreasonable and reckless behaviour of individuals in traffic, which leads to many human casualties.
The trigger for this new wave of protests was a traffic accident at the end of January 2025 in Skopje, in which a 22-year-old girl, Frosina Kulakova, lost her life when she was hit by the suspected driver, 20-year-old Vasil Jovanov, who was under the influence of alcohol.
Citizens are particularly outraged by the fact that Jovanov, at the age of 16, had already injured a woman while driving, and a few years later he was caught with drugs. In both cases he got away without a serious punishment – for the drugs he was sentenced to spend time in a correctional institution, but according to media reports he negotiated with lawyers to avoid that.
After the death of Frosina Kulakova at a pedestrian crossing, citizens formed the "Who's Next" movement to demand specific reforms in the judiciary. People whose close relatives lost their lives in traffic accidents, with perpetrators receiving minimal sentences, also come to the protests.
The media began to publish stories of families who faced the loss of a loved one and injustice from the justice system.
Frosina's father, Todor Kulakov, speaks out at protests and in the media because he believes that the root of all problems in society lies in impunity. "In a justice system set up like this, impunity is the rule and it is reflected in all spheres of life. Whether it is traffic, the economy, where there is impunity we face a total collapse in society", he said.
Ironically, on the same spot on "Partizanski Odredi" boulevard where Frosina Kulakova died, a 19-year-old student, Frosina Cekoska, was run over and killed in 2015. The driver, Ljubiša Vidojković, was driving under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Stojan Angelovski, interviewed for Radio Europe, tells of his father Slobodan, who died in 2022 at a pedestrian crossing in the centre of Skopje. Two cars stopped to let him through – one in the first and one in the middle lane – but the driver in the third lane did not stop and hit him. Due to the delay in the court proceedings, defendant Gordana Filipović is free and has not yet been sentenced.
Bojan Petrovski from Bitola is seeking justice for his brother Oliver. In 2020 he was run over at a pedestrian crossing, and the driver was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The court in Bitola decided that the driver caused the traffic accident out of negligence, not intent.
The Criminal Code of the Republic of North Macedonia does not contain a specific criminal offense called “reckless driving”. A driver can be held liable for the crime of “serious crimes against traffic safety” under Articles 300 and 301 of the Criminal Code.
These articles cover situations where, through negligence or intent, a danger to the life or body of people in traffic is caused, with prison sentences from at least one year to a maximum of ten years in prison. Additionally, depending on the degree of negligence, the driver can also be held liable for other offences under the Law on Road Traffic Safety.
“We do not die from accidents; we die from corruption” is the main message of the protests organised by the movement. Protests were held in the capital Skopje and as well as other cities. The main goals of the protests are: justice; a healthy and safe city; changing the culture of behaviour in traffic.
“The Macedonian judicial system has long been operating under internal pressure and political calculations, rather than under the watchful eye of the public. We do not just need a change of judges from one colour to another, but judges who represent citizens – professionals, independent of political influences, who will make fair and impartial decisions. In addition, the judicial system must guarantee social protection and the rights of the most vulnerable, especially the system for protecting children”, representatives of the initiative told Radio Free Europe.
According to data from the State Statistical Office from 2001 to the end of 2023, a total of 3,353 people lost their lives in traffic accidents, including 818 pedestrians. The average for these 23 years is a total of 146 casualties per year or 36 pedestrians per year.
Trust in the country's judicial system is stably expressed in single digits, according to research by the non-governmental sector.
In the fight against corruption, the European Commission, in its regular annual reports, especially for the last one in 2024, does not see any progress, and last year it emphasised that it is precisely trust in the judicial system that needs to be strengthened.
The EU Ambassador said that North Macedonia should deliver on the implementation of EU-related reforms, especially in the fundamentals cluster – corruption, judiciary and organised crime.