The families of the people who perished in the fire of the improvised discotheque Puls in Kočani will hold a protest march in Skopje on April 29 (Tuesday) named “March of the Angels.” The march will begin at 12:05 hrs symbolizing the late responsibility and reaction.
The march is scheduled to start in front of Public Prosecutor’s Office, then the route will lead over the main city square and will end in front of the Parliament.
The mother of one of the victims of the April 16 fire announced the protest march on her Facebook profile: “We seek answers which we deserve after the violent deaths of our children,” she wrote, and called for massive support from all citizens, without party-politicizing of the tragedy.
“We deserve answers. We are not knowledgeable in legal matters and procedures of the law, so we cannot understand why those who know the law, first detain, then release suspects. Are they aware that the trust in the work of the institutions with those ambiguous decisions, without clear explanation about the legal procedures, affecting our minds, which are on the edge of self-destruction anyway,” the Facebook post reads.
The parents of the young people who perished in the fire, stated during their last march held in Kočani on Saturday April 26, that they are target of pressure and threats of arrest. According to them, the threats refer to the incidents after the tragedy, including demolishin of a coffee house related to the owner of the discotheque. At the protest in Kočani they demanded responsibility from the minister of internal affairs, the director of the Bureau of Public Safety, and from the Prosecutors’ Office.
“Who allowed the murder of our angels? Who signs the documents ensuring the safety of our angels in public and non-public spaces?” – asked one of the mothers of the decesased youths.
In the tragic fire in the Puls discotheque in Kočani on March 16, 62 persons lost their lives, including 6 minors and around 200 were injured, including 25 minors. According to the sources conducting the investigation, pyrotechnic effects during the performance of the band DNK caused the fire, after sparks reached flammable materials on the ceiling. During the night of the tragedy, the Puls discotheque was filled to the brim with over 600 visitors, even though it lacked conditions and capacity to accept them.
So far 68 persons have been declared as suspects. Authorities have detained a number of individuals, including former government minister of economy Kreshnik Bekteshi. Other officials, including three former mayors of Kočani, have been put under house arrest. The current minister of economy, nor the director of the State Market Inspectorate have not been listed among the suspects.
According to a poll by the agency Market Vision and the web portal MKD.mk on Sunday, 53 percent of the citizens consider the reaction of the institutions after the tragedy as speedy and efficient. 33 percent of surveyed citizens disagreed with that position.
Родители на загинатите млади во Кочани бараат одговорност и обвинуваат за притисоци
