NEWS FLASH
Seven people who were involved in an assault on an on-duty air traffic controller at Skopje Airport earlier this year have received suspended jail sentences. Six of the seven were sentenced to six months in prison, which is suspended if they do not commit a new crime within the next year and a half. A seventh person, who has a prior conviction, received a suspended two-year jail sentence under supervision if he does not commit a crime within the next five years. Charges against an eighth person have been dropped. The incident, which took place on January 4, occurred as the on-duty air traffic controller was supervising flights within Macedonia’s airspace. It was the culmination of months of tensions at Macedonia’s air traffic provider M-NAV involving accusations of nepotism, corruption, and political interference.