North Macedonia director retains post after glorifying war criminal Mladić

Dalibor Kitanoviq, the director of the Agency for the Realization of Community Rights in North Macedonia, has faced intense scrutiny following a social media post that glorified convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić and other figures associated with the Chetnik movement.

Eight civil society organizations demanded Kitanoviq’s dismissal, arguing that his actions were incompatible with his mandate to protect the rights of minority communities, including Bosniaks, Turks, Roma, Serbs, and Vlachs. The organizations called for an investigation into whether the post violated criminal codes regarding hate speech and urged the government to distance itself from the glorification of war criminals.

In response to the backlash, Kitanoviq deleted the post and issued an apology to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and the government, stating he did not wish to involve them in political clashes. However, Kitanoviq also characterized himself as a victim of a political hunt, asserting that his apology should not be interpreted as weakness or an admission of wrongdoing regarding his political beliefs.

Prime Minister Mickoski has declined to dismiss Kitanoviq, stating that the director’s actions were individual rather than a reflection of government policy. Mickoski emphasized that because Kitanoviq apologized and retracted the post, he should not be “crucified” or held criminally liable.