Ljubcho Georgievski in front of FAKTI after the verdict in Bitola: I am convicted because I am Bulgarian!

The court in Bitola has handed down a one-year suspended sentence with a probationary period of two years in the case against the chairman of the already defunct Cultural Club "Ivan Mihaylov" association; Ljubcho Georgievski. How does he view his verdict… Ljubcho Georgievski speaks to FAKTI.

- Mr. Georgievski, you heard your verdict from the court in Bitola. How do you perceive the word "convicted"…
- I accept the decision of the court in Bitola not as a shame, but as an honor. This is not a verdict – this is a diploma. A certificate that I am loyal to Ivan Mihaylov, that I am a Bulgarian in Macedonia, that I am part of a great and worthy people. I also accept it as a political verdict. This is not a decision of an independent court, but of a political machine that wants to crush Bulgarian self-awareness in Macedonia. In this "verdict" the authorities themselves admitted that they could not break me, that they could not extinguish the fire of Bulgarianness in me. If they think that with a suspended sentence they will scare me, let them know - this is just the beginning.

- Will you appeal the verdict?
- I will appeal it, but not because I expect justice from their court. I will appeal it so that it will remain in history that I did not remain silent. Let our children know that someone raised their head when the authorities tried to trample on the truth. Our fight is not for me, it is for our name, language and history.

- Convicted because you are Bulgarian, or convicted because you have violated the law in the Republic of North Macedonia…
- I am convicted because I am Bulgarian! This is the “crime“. In this country, being still Bulgarian is enough to be persecuted, convicted, humiliated. The law here does not apply to everyone. Here the law serves to crush a certain people and anyone who dares to say: “I am Bulgarian!“

- Several times in your statements you say that you defend and prove Bulgarianness in North Macedonia. Why is this punishable…
- In Macedonia it is not only punishable, but also dangerous. In the past, if you said you were Bulgarian – they would kill you. Then – they would harass you, fire you from your job, monitor you, destroy your life. But you can’t extinguish what doesn’t go out. Decades have crushed Bulgarianness, but it is rising again – with new faces, new words, but with the same loyalty to its roots.

- What restrictions does the sentence impose on you?
- This is a suspended sentence. It’s as if the state is holding a knife to your head and saying: “Say you Bulgarian one more time, and we’ll put you in prison!“ This is censorship. This is harassment. This is state racketeering!
I will not remain silent. I will speak even louder. I will defend the Bulgarian truth with even greater determination. Because we are not random, we are indigenous. We are descendants of heroes.

- Is the verdict a political message against other Bulgarians…
- This is an open warning to every Bulgarian and it sounds like this: “Look Ljubcho and keep quiet if you want to stay free!“ This is not justice, this is a political showdown. But we are no longer the minority, hidden in the corner. Now it is our turn - the Bulgarians' - to be inscribed in the Constitution. Now Europe knows and this is a European framework. The authorities can scare us, but they cannot stop the wave. Bulgarianness has woken up and no one can return it to slavery.
- What is illegal in saying in North Macedonia that you define yourself as Bulgarian?
- Nothing. But the authorities do it illegally with silence, manipulation, and fear. You define yourself as a Bulgarian and immediately become an "extremist", "fascist", "traitor". This is absurd and shameful for a country that is trying to join the EU.

- The case lasted more than 3 years because…
- Because it had to be a political spectacle. To drag it out, to insinuate, to intimidate. They were looking for a way to crush me, to present me as an enemy, to distort the truth. And when they couldn't find real crimes, they invented "moral" ones. It was a farce, not a trial.
Because they wanted to tire me out slowly, to exhaust me, to discredit me. But they don't understand – our spirit is tempered in battle. I have not been afraid, I have not sold out, I have not bowed down. Three years have passed for them to write a verdict that only shows their weakness and our strength.

- The Bulgarian state will raise the issue at a high level in the EU. What do you expect to happen?
- I expect Bulgaria to finally act, not just talk. North Macedonia's European path passes through the truth. And the truth is that Bulgarians live here and they have rights. We do not want charity - we want dignity. And we will continue to fight, because our cause is just, honest and holy. And in the end we will win, because history is always with those who are on the side of the truth.
------------------------
The case against Ljubcho Georgievski began in 2023, after the Commission for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination referred the case to the prosecutor's office for content on the Facebook page of the "Ivan Mihaylov" association in Bitola, "which violates the feelings and rights of a large number of people". The prosecutor's office was also referred to by the Union of Wrestlers in North Macedonia, and several witnesses for the prosecution were questioned in the case, including Lambe Alabakovski, who was conditionally sentenced for arson at the door of the "Ivan Mihaylov" Cultural Club, as well as the defense. The last witness for the defense in the case on May 21, at his own request, was the country's former Prime Minister Ljubcho Georgievski, who indicated that he made this decision after he found out that the case was not against the chairman of the "Ivan Mihaylov" Association, Ljubcho Georgievski, but against the historical figure Ivan Mihaylov.