North Macedonia's former presidential pardons revoked by European Court, raising fair‑trial concerns
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled that North Macedonia was entitled to revoke the pardons granted by former President Gjorge Ivanov. The Court found that the legislative amendment allowing the revocation did not breach the right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights.
However, the Court identified violations of fair‑trial rights for two applicants, Mile Janakieski and Kosta Mitrovski, because they were not provided with copies of the higher prosecutor’s submissions in a timely manner. The state was ordered to pay each of them €3,600 in compensation. The case, filed under the name “Talenski and others v. North Macedonia,” was initiated by a former Bitola mayor convicted in the former special prosecution (SJO) case known as “Transporter.”
The decision has prompted calls from the ruling SDSM party to reactivate criminal proceedings against several former SJO officials and to appeal the judgment to the Grand Chamber, highlighting ongoing political tensions surrounding the revocation of the pardons.