A day after thousands of students protested in front of the facility of the Ministry of Justice with the request to give the jurisprudence exam in the Albanian language, the Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov, reacted, who declared that the protest was violent, while adding that the Macedonian language is not an obstacle, but an obligation.
“The right to protest is democratic, but no one has the right to demand the destruction of criteria and standards in the judiciary through violent protests. The Ministry of Justice remains open to reasoned institutional dialogue, but will not allow the devaluation of the legal system, nor the burying of the role of the Macedonian language as a pillar of citizenship and institutional order. The Macedonian language is not an obstacle, it is mandatory, a constitutional value and a guarantee for the functioning of the state– Igor Fillkov, Minister of Justice.
He added that the Macedonian language is the official language throughout the country and the foundation of the institutional and legal system, making the politicization of this issue unacceptable.
“I strongly react to the attempt to turn the bar exam into a field for political pressure and ethnic confrontation. The bar exam is not a political issue, but a matter of expertise, professionalism and respect for the legal order of the state. Attempts to present the legal obligation to recognize the Macedonian language as discrimination are dangerous manipulation of the public and a direct attack on the constitutional order. The Macedonian language is the official language throughout the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia and the foundation of the institutional and legal system. It is unacceptable that sensitive topics that directly affect the legal system are used to gain political points or to create inter-ethnic tensions”, the reaction states.
The Minister stated that the Ministry of Justice remains open for institutional dialogue, but will not allow, as he said, the infringement of the judicial system or the role of the Macedonian language in the state.
“The bar exam is conducted in accordance with applicable laws and professional standards, and not according to daily political agendas or street pressures. The right to protest is a democratic right, but no one has the right to demand the violation of criteria and standards in the judiciary through violent protests. The Ministry of Justice remains open to reasonable institutional dialogue, but will not allow the judicial system to be devalued, nor the role of the Macedonian language as a pillar of citizenship and institutional order to be undermined. The Macedonian language is not an obstacle — it is an obligation, a constitutional value and a guarantee for the functioning of the state“, says Filkov’s reaction.
