Macedonia President Refuses to Pardon Jailed Bulgarian Citizen

Spaska Mitrova will not be pardoned by the Macedonian President. She is pictured here with her baby daughter Suzana.

Macedonia's President, Gjorge Ivanov, has refused to pardon the Macedonian holder of Bulgarian citizenship, Spaska Mitrova, who has been jailed over a divorce settlement.

The 23-year-old Spaska Mitrova has been sentenced to three months because she allegedly failed to provide a bed for her former husband, who was supposed to come visit their child on weekends at her parents' house.

The case caused a diplomatic scandal between Bulgaria and Macedonia, as Mitrova's husband repeatedly abused her because of her national identity (i.e. holding a Bulgarian passport), and because her sentence is allegedly so harsh for being a Macedonian who received Bulgarian citizenship granted on the basis of proving her Bulgarian origin.

In his letter to Mitrova's mother, Macedonia's President states he could not pardon the young woman, who has a baby and also suffers from breast cancer, because the country's constitution gave him the right to do that only regarding vital national interest, and this was not the case.

Gjorge Ivanov has advised Mitrova's family to seek pardoning through the regular procedures of the courts and the Justice Ministry.

 

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