site.btaOhrid Court Imprisons Pendikov's Assailants for Eight Months, Holds that "Hate" Motive Is Not Proven

The Primary Court in Ohrid sentenced Ilija Spaseski and Borce Angelov to eight months' imprisonment each for inflicting grievous bodily harm on Hristijan Pendikov. The court held, however, that the motive "out of hatred" was not proven, Pendikov's lawyer Stefan Kamishevski told BTA after а hearing of the case on March 5.

The verdict was handed down a little more than two years after the first hearing in the case of Pendikov's assault, which was committed in front of a restaurant in Ohrid on the evening of January 19, 2023. 

Pendikov, who was secretary of the King Boris III Cultural Club, which was later officially deregistered in North Macedonia, was attacked and beaten, sustaining two cracked vertebrae, a broken jaw, cracked ribs and three broken teeth, two of which have now been extracted. He was brought to the Military Medical Academy in Sofia for treatment. 

Immediately after the beating, the victim testified that Spaseski entered the restaurant where Pendikov was and hit him on the head saying, "Aren't you ashamed to identify yourself as Bulgarian?" After Pendikov left the restaurant, Spaseski, together with two other persons, attacked him. Pendikov testified to the police that he heard a woman's voice telling them to leave him alone because she was going to call the police, and Spaseski replied, "You should not call the police for a Bulgarian, let no one remain!" and the beating continued. The victim's testimony was read out in the courtroom at one of the first hearings of the case.

Security camera footage presented in court at one of the hearings shows Pendikov being beaten and kicked by two men. Only Ilija Spaseski from Ohrid was initially charged, and Borce Angelov from Bitola was accused as well. Both pleaded not guilty.

Witnesses for both the prosecution and the defence were questioned during the trial, and the hearings were repeatedly adjourned.

The detailed reasons for the sentence delivered by Judge Bojan Martinovski of the Ohrid court will become clear when presented in writing to both the prosecution and the defence, after which both parties may appeal within 14 days.