Kočani Pulse Nightclub Fire Trial Advances with New Evidence

On 16 March 2025 a fire broke out at the Pulse nightclub in Kočani, Macedonia, killing 63 people and injuring more than 200, many with severe burns. The tragedy prompted a high‑profile criminal trial.

During a recent hearing in the court at Idrižovo, prosecutors presented a large set of material evidence, including municipal inspection reports, building‑inspector authorisations, land‑ownership documents, urban‑plan records, a 2011 legalisation request for an unauthorised structure, lease agreements and photographs taken after renovations. They also submitted records of seized items such as personal documents, laptops, cash and tickets recovered from the scene.

The defence, led by attorneys Shaban Saliu, Dimitar Dангov and Petre Shilegov, argued that many of the documents were obtained unfairly, that the scope of the indictment was overly broad, and asked the judges to limit or exclude certain pieces of evidence, including records unrelated to the fire. The case is being overseen by Judge Dijana Gruјevska‑Iliеvska, with a team of 15 public prosecutors representing the indictment.