In less than 48 hours, MKD 42 750 were collected and will be paid to EVN’s bank account for the debt of Pale Iloska from Veles, North Macedonia, the National Network Against the Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence announced. They expressed their gratitude to everyone who contributed and made it possible for this woman to have electricity in her home again.
Pale Iloska due to the unpaid electricity bills in the amount over MKD 40 000 was left in a dark and cold home while in home custody, awaiting the trial for the killing of her unwed partner.
Iloska could not pay the electricity bills because she could not work as she was placed in home custody, so as the National Network reported, she was forced to use a propane heater and a kerosene lamp.
After the Public Prosecutor’s Office – Veles filed a lawsuit for involuntary manslaughter, the case of the 23-year old woman from Veles who last year killed her unwed husband A.R. with a knife, caused an uproar from the human rights and women protection organization, who requested that the lawsuit should be modified and she should be prosecuted for “necessity defense”.
The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, the Gender Equality Platform, the National Network Against the Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, and the Network for Protection Against Discrimination consider that the situation that Pale Iloska found herself in was an act of self-protection, i.e. a “necessity defense”, and not involuntary manslaughter.
“Pale Iloska is a victim who fought for breath, who was physically abused and beaten at the critical moment and her life was in danger, so there are clear indications that this is not a case of involuntary manslaughter, according to Article 125 of the Criminal Code; but of “necessity defense”, according to Article 9 of the Criminal Code. Namely, the “necessity defense” is composed of two parts – the attack and the defense. In this case, the defense act has been undertaken at the moment of the attack and it has been reciprocal to the attack, the limits of the defense are not overcome, so here we have a necessity defense, which does not allow for a criminal lawsuit,” the organizations said.
The relatives of Iloska started an online petition for her release.
