Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Three years without justice for the arson attack on the Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Bitola

The Ivan Mihaylov Cultural Club in Bitola
Photo: BGNES-archive

June 4 marked three years since the arson attack against the Ivan Mihaylov Cultural Centre in Bitola, North Macedonia. It sparked a strong public reaction and raised the issue of human rights and interethnic relations in North Macedonia.

On this occasion, Lyupcho Georgievski, Chairman of the Ivan Mihaylov Cultural Club, banned by North Macedonia’s authorities, issued a statement on social media claiming the arson was a deliberate attack against the Bulgarian community. ''Instead of the crime being investigated, the victims have been turned into defendants. Instead of bringing the perpetrators to justice, the state targeted us with its repressive machinery. A fabricated political case was brought against me. After three years of court proceedings, the trial has ended, but the court stubbornly remains silent. The verdict is deliberately postponed to prolong the execution'', Lyupcho Georgievski wrote. ''In a European Macedonia, Bulgarians are persecuted for their identity. The doors to Europe do not open through club arsons, human rights violations and political trials'', reads Georgievski’s statement, quoted by tribuna.mk. 

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: BGNES-archive



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Georg Georgiev: Bulgaria has no conditions apart from those of the EU for the EU membership of North Macedonia

Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev spoke by phone with his counterpart from the Republic of North Macedonia .  Timcho Mucunski, officially informing him about the decision of the Bulgarian Parliament adopted on May 30, 2025, on the progress of..

published on 6/11/25 3:25 PM

Ships from Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania will conduct anti-mine patrols in the Black Sea

From June 11 to 26, 2025, the fifth mission of the Naval Mine Countermeasures Group "MCM BLACK SEA" is being carried out in the Black Sea. Warships from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey are participating in the action, which began from Burgas, BGNES..

published on 6/11/25 2:28 PM
Photo: Cultural Center „Bulgarica” in Chicago

“Summer Wind” exhibition in Chicago presents paintings by four Bulgarian artists

The exhibition “Summer Wind” opened on June 8 in Bagrena Gallery at the Bulgarica Cultural Center in Chicago, USA. The center announced this on its Facebook page. With the exhibition the Bagrena Gallery closes its active season and..

published on 6/11/25 11:18 AM