site.btaUPDATED North Macedonia Court Convicts Defunct Cultural Club Leader over Facebook Posts, He Will Appeal Verdict

A court in Bitola has handed a one-year suspended sentence with a two-year probation period to Ljupcho Georgievski, former chair of the now-dissolved Ivan Mihailov Cultural Club, in a case that has drawn attention across the border in Bulgaria.

Georgievski was convicted of inciting xenophobia, racism, and ethnic hatred through electronic means after publishing quotes by the controversial historical figure Ivan Mihailov on the club’s Facebook page.

The verdict, issued by the Basic Court in Bitola, was received electronically on Wednesday and spans 22 pages, according to Georgievski’s attorney Naser Raufi, who spoke to BTA. The defence has eight days to file an appeal before the Bitola Court of Appeals.

Georgievski maintains that the case is politically motivated and that the charges are not based on any criminal act but rather on his personal identity and beliefs.

“This verdict carries no legal weight for me - it is symbolic. It is a political message, not against me personally, but against Bulgarian identity in Macedonia,” Georgievski wrote on the association's Facebook page following the announcement. “The accusation against me was not for a crime, but for convictions. I have not incited violence or harmed anyone’s dignity. My only ‘offense’ is that I openly identify as Bulgarian, honor the legacy of Ivan Mihailov, and lead a cultural club dedicated to preserving the memory of Bulgaria’s presence in Macedonia.”

“A state may issue verdicts, but it cannot judge conscience. Truth cannot be banned by law, and memory cannot be erased by court rulings,” he added.

Georgievski was indicted in 2023 following a complaint filed by the Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination, the Left political party, and the Union of Fighters in Bitola. The prosecution focused on the sharing of quotes by Ivan Mihailov, a historical figure viewed by some in North Macedonia as a fascist sympathizer and by others in Bulgaria as a national hero.

Raufi confirmed to BTA that the defence will appeal the decision. 

Later in the day, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a position paper that it considers the guilty verdict against Georgievski to be totally unacceptable. The Ministry recalled that Georgievski is one of the most prominent representatives of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia, chairman of the Ivan Mihailov Cultural Club in Bitola, which was closed down by the authorities in Skopje, and a Bulgarian citizen. 

The approach of institutional intimidation cannot silence the voice of Macedonian Bulgarians and their legitimate aspiration to guarantee their rights as full citizens of North Macedonia in the spirit of European values and achievements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.

“We will inform our partners from the European Union member states about this latest court case, which can only be described as a punitive action against representatives of the Bulgarian community,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Elena Shekerletova told journalists in Vienna.