North Macedonia Supreme Court overturns convictions in Tetovo hospital fire case

Tetovo Clinical Hospital Supreme Court of North Macedonia modular hospital fire Florin Besimi Artan Etemi

The Supreme Court of North Macedonia has overturned the convictions of former Tetovo Clinical Hospital directors Florin Besimi and Artan Etemi regarding the 2021 modular hospital fire. The decision, reached on October 22, 2026, follows requests for extraordinary review of the final judgments.

The court annulled previous rulings from the Basic Court in Tetovo and the Court of Appeals in Gostivar, which had sentenced the two men to three years in prison for serious offenses against general security. The Supreme Court identified significant deficiencies in the lower courts' reasoning, specifically noting a failure to establish a clear causal link between the defendants' actions and the tragedy.

Key issues cited include an insufficient analysis of evidence regarding how the defendants contributed to the fire and whether their responsibility stemmed from a lack of fire safety equipment or other security failures. The court also noted discrepancies in expert findings, including a German expert report that could not definitively determine the fire's cause due to the extent of the destruction. The case has been returned to the Basic Court in Tetovo for retrial.

The original fire, which occurred on September 8, 2021, resulted in the deaths of 14 patients and injured 12 others.

Entities

Artan Etemi · Florin Besimi · Supreme Court of North Macedonia · Tetovo · Tetovo Clinical Hospital

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 9 SOURCES] An appellate court in December 2025 had increased the prison sentences for the directors to three years. lider.mk · opserver.mk · libertas.mk · ts.mk · antropol.mk · +4 more
[● 6 SOURCES] The Supreme Court rejected the extraordinary review request from the Tetovo Clinical Hospital as inadmissible. lider.mk · opserver.mk · ts.mk · utrinskivesnik.mk · lideri.mk · +1 more
[● 12 SOURCES] The Supreme Court of North Macedonia overturned the convictions of Florin Besimi and Artan Etemi. lider.mk · opserver.mk · libertas.mk · ts.mk · utrinskivesnik.mk · +7 more
[● 4 SOURCES] The fine for the Tetovo Clinical Hospital was increased to 1.3 million denars. lider.mk · opserver.mk · lideri.mk · press24.mk
[● 8 SOURCES] The Supreme Court identified deficiencies in the causal link between the defendants' actions and the tragedy. libertas.mk · ts.mk · utrinskivesnik.mk · antropol.mk · expres.mk · +3 more
[● 12 SOURCES] The case has been returned to the Basic Court in Tetovo for retrial. lider.mk · opserver.mk · libertas.mk · ts.mk · utrinskivesnik.mk · +7 more
[● 12 SOURCES] The fire at the Tetovo modular hospital on September 8, 2021, killed 14 people and injured 12. lider.mk · opserver.mk · libertas.mk · ts.mk · utrinskivesnik.mk · +7 more