North Macedonian Official Faces Calls for Dismissal Over War Criminal Post

Eight civil society organizations in North Macedonia are calling for the dismissal of Dalibor Kitanović. He is the director of the Agency for the Realization of Community Rights. The organizations made this request after Kitanović publicly praised the Chetnik movement and Ratko Mladić. Mladić is a convicted war criminal for genocide and other atrocities.

Several international partners have responded to the civil groups' concerns. The OSCE Mission in Skopje said it will stop working with Kitanović's agency. It will also inform the OSCE High Commissioner about the case. The Council of Europe emphasized it cannot support actions that deny or glorify war criminals. The European Union Delegation confirmed it has told North Macedonian authorities that glorifying war criminals is unacceptable for EU members or candidates. The European Parliament also held a debate, stressing such actions contradict European values.

Civil society organizations stated that North Macedonia, as an EU candidate, must not allow public officials to deny genocide or praise convicted war criminals. They expressed disappointment because the government has not yet acted on their official request to dismiss Kitanović.

Mersiha Smailović, a human rights activist, said there is frustration with the government's silence. She believes the government must show its commitment to European integration by taking action. It needs to publicly state that denying genocide and glorifying war criminals is not compatible with public office.

Kitanović, a member of the Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia, posted an image online. This image, created with artificial intelligence, showed Mladić alongside historical Serbian figures. The caption was "Generals of the Heavenly Army." The North Macedonian government called Kitanović's personal views "unacceptable." Kitanović later deleted his post and apologized to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski. However, civil groups continue to demand his removal and stronger institutional responsibility.