Probation Sentence for Macedonian Bulgarian Dragi Karov
Dragi Karov from Veles has received a one-year suspended sentence with a three-year probation period for a social media comment. The ruling by the Skopje court was upheld on appeal.
Macedonian Bulgarian Dragi Karov from Veles, one of the most recognizable figures among people with Bulgarian self-identification in North Macedonia, has been sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for a three-year probation period. The ruling was issued by the court in Skopje over a social media comment.
According to the court decision, Karov’s comment under a Macedonian television post on Facebook constituted insult, defamation, and hate speech. He was found guilty of hate speech and sentenced by two instances, with the latest ruling issued by the Skopje Court of Appeals.
Karov firmly stated that the sentence is political and a punishment solely for being Bulgarian. Anyone who says they are Bulgarian is being humiliated so they will not dare to say we are Bulgarians, he told Nova TV.
He claimed that he has faced legal proceedings since the era of the Yugoslav system under Tito and described the accusations as absurd. According to him, Macedonian journalists and politicians continuously spread hate speech against Bulgaria.
Karov also said the country’s judicial system is corrupt and that its actions are directed against Bulgaria. He claims that ethnic Bulgarians in North Macedonia are not allowed to work in institutions or the media.
The 70-year-old Karov from Veles is a businessman and one of the most well-known representatives of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia. Years ago, he gained attention for erecting a bust of Todor Alexandrov in the yard of his home.