NMacedonian prison chief fired after ex-ministers assaulted

The head of North Macedonia’s main prison in the capital of Skopje has been fires after two former government ministers being held in pre-trial detention were assaulted in the prison yard by other inmates.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev demanded the resignation of Gjoko Kotevski on Friday, a day after the attack in which one ex-minister was injured. The victim launched a hunger strike to protest the attack.

The labour and construction ministers in the country’s former conservative government, in power from 2006-2016, have been ordered jailed for 30 days pending trial in connection with the violent storming of parliament in 2017.

The jail attack, in which the former ministers were punched and kicked, took place late Thursday, a day after they entered prison. Both have been moved to a more secure prison area.