SKOPJE – Albanian students in North Macedonia gathered in Skopje, continuing protests demanding that they be allowed to take the judicial exam in the Albanian language.
According to media reports, five students were arrested during yesterday’s protest, while students from Albania who were travelling to Skopje to support their colleagues were reportedly stopped at the border for checks to determine whether there were any minors on the bus.
The protest in Skopje is part of a broader student mobilization that has been ongoing since early April, when students first gathered outside the Ministry of Justice, demanding the possibility of taking the judicial exam in Albanian and pointing to what they describe as institutional discrimination.
The protests have reignited wider political debate in North Macedonia over the implementation of the country’s Law on the Use of Languages and the status of Albanian, which has co-official status nationwide since 2019.
“This is an issue the Government is working on. I am convinced that we will very soon come forward with a proposed solution”, said Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
He called on students to remain patient, adding that solution must be in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and international standards.
“This is why I urge everyone involved in this process to be patient, because there are political forces in the country that do not want us to be a progressive country, but instead want conflict, unrest and protests, even though they had more than 20 years to resolve this issue”, Mickoski said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice argues that the judicial exam represents a specialized professional assessment rather than a standard administrative procedure automatically regulated by broader language legislation. According to Ministry, the current system is fully in line with the existing legal framework.
The protests of students received support from several political and public figures from the region, particularly from Kosovo. Former Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani supported protests yesterday, stating “the Albanian language is sacred”.
