Ohrid court acquits two men over beating of Bulgarian club secretary; Sofia protests

The Basic Court in Ohrid on Thursday acquitted both defendants in the retrial over the assault on the secretary of the deregistered Tsar Boris III Bulgarian cultural association. The same court had sentenced the two men to eight months in prison each in March 2025, before the Bitola Court of Appeal ordered a retrial after both sides appealed. According to BTA, no new evidence was presented at the single hearing, and the written reasoning will follow.

The victim was attacked outside a venue in Ohrid in January 2023 and suffered injuries including two fractured vertebrae and a broken jaw. He called the verdict "shameful and disgraceful," BTA reported. His lawyer said the attack was motivated by ethnic hatred and expressed hope that prosecutors, who alone can challenge the ruling, would appeal.

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry said the country would continue to fully support the victim and all Bulgarians in North Macedonia, calling any further entrenchment of impunity for hate crimes unacceptable. Five Bulgarian lawmakers from across the political spectrum attended the hearing in Ohrid and voiced disappointment.