Bulgarian club "Ivan Mihailov" in Bitola removed from the Central Registry of North Macedonia
The Bulgarian Club "Ivan Mihailov" in Bitola was deleted from the Central Registry of the Republic of North Macedonia. This becomes clear from a reference on the website of the registry.
The reason given by the Central Registry is that the Bulgarian club did not change its name according to the amended Law on Organisations, Associations and Political Parties in the country. It prohibits the establishment of organisations bearing the names of personalities who are controversial, create tension between the country's citizens, incite hatred based on nationality, faith, or incite fascism and Nazism.
Club chairman, Ljupco Georgievski, said they had not been notified by the Central Registry of the decision. He pointed out that they will seek their rights in court and continue their activities as before. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they would comment on the issue at a briefing tomorrow, March 23, at 10:30.
The decision to delete the Cultural Centre Association from the Central Registry comes after the government's Commission on the Names of Organisations and Associations in the Republic of North Macedonia issued a negative opinion on the name "Ivan Mihailov" last week.
The Bulgarian Cultural Club "Ivan Mihailov" in Bitola should change its name
According to the commission, the name is associated with fascist ideology and hurts the national feelings of the Macedonian people, which is in violation of the adopted amendments to the Law on Organisations, Associations and Political Parties. The Commission recommended to the Minister of Justice to take a decision on the deletion of the organisation from the register, which Krenar Loga signed the same day.
Journalist Vladimir Perev told BNT that the same fate is likely to befall the "King Boris the Third" club in Ohrid.
"It is not news to me and I am not surprised. Most of us here in Macedonia are not surprised. I guess that the other club "Tsar Boris the Third" will have the same fate and will be closed down. This shows that nothing has changed in the Macedonian society. It hasn't changed since Yugoslavia, nor since the Yugnostalgic times, nor since the times of the year 2000, 23 years ago, when the Radko association was also there. This means that in the political perception of the Macedonian leaders, of the Macedonian leadership, of the political parties, nothing has changed in the past 50 years".
BNT: Is this the sign that Skopje is giving us - that there is no change?
Vladimir Perev: Skopje is giving a sign that it does not want change. There will be change, the clubs will find their place in time... a trial in the Strasbourg court. A conscience of the Macedonian society will be raised, I expect this, that in Macedonia not everybody thinks the way it is said.
The King Boris III Club also received a negative opinion from the Commission on Names of Associations. There have been a series of attacks, shootings, attempted arson and protests against the two clubs, and the secretary of the club in Ohrid, Hristian Pendikov, was attacked and severely beaten in January this year.
