North Macedonia, Kočani fire trial begins
Last March, a fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kočani turned into one of the worst tragedies in North Macedonia’s recent history, killing 63 people. The trial began in recent days, with 35 people in the dock
shutterstock_2377734171
© SOMKID THONGDEE/Shutterstock
On November 19 in Skopje the trial began for 35 defendants and three companies charged with the death of 63 mainly young people in the tragic fire at the Pulse discotheque in Kočani on March 16. All defendants and the representatives of the three companies pleaded not guilty.
The defendants are former and current ministers, former mayors of Kočani, inspectors and other civil servants. The 15 prosecutors are also conducting a separate investigation into 26 police officers for the crime of “Serious crimes against public security”, and an indictment is expected in early December.
The trial is taking place in the largest courtroom in the country, near the Idrizovo prison on the outskirts of Skopje.
On the first day of the trial, several hours passed while the court registered all those present and recorded the powers of attorney of all parties involved. After the opening statements of the Prosecution, almost all of the defendants’ lawyers requested a delay in the start of the trial, citing the fact that the case against the Rubicon agency, responsible for the security of Pulse, was added to the original one. The prosecutors, however, opposed the postponement because they claim that there is no substantive change.
The request caused skepticism among the parents of the deceased, who spoke to the media after the first hearing. “We see a scheme by lawyers and defendants who are manipulating our pain,” said Toma Stojanov, father of deceased football player Andrej Stojanov.
Stojanov added that relatives fear suffering the same fate as the families in other trials, like the cases of the bus accidents of the companies “Durmo Tours” near Laskarci near Skopje in 2019 and “Besa Trans” in Bulgaria in 2021, as well as the fire in the modular hospital in Tetovo in 2021. Those families have shared that trials are taking too long and that the full responsibility for these cases has not been ascertained.
At the beginning of the trial, Judge Dijana Gruevska-Ilievska said that the judicial council can guarantee transparency and professionalism, but did not want to predict when the trial would end.
“I know about the pain, we are all parents here, we will respect the families’ feelings, but we are professionals and we must respect everyone’s rights. We cannot guarantee you a speedy trial, but we will do everything we can to ensure that the process runs smoothly… No one knows how long it will take. Whether it will last five months, five years, no one knows. Let’s not have prejudices”.
According to prosecutor Borche Janev, the fire did not occur solely due to the negligence of one human being, but rather systemic negligence and evasion of legal rules. He emphasized that the club had been at risk for years, and the first defendant, the owner of “Pulse”, was not interested in safety and had been circumventing norms.
“The evidence will show that none of these defendants wanted to see the danger that had been lurking for years. However, it was their duty to do so. If the building where the nightclub was located had met the standards, the fire itself would have been remembered as a dangerous incident, but not as a mass grave,” said the prosecutor. His opening remarks were greeted with applause by the relatives of the victims.
The trial continued on November 25, when the Court accepted the objections of some of the defense attorneys that the indictment integrated with the list of evidence had not been delivered to the defendants.
The trial is taking place under enhanced security measures. In addition to the defendants and representatives of the prosecution and defence, relatives of the victims and domestic and foreign journalists are also present in the courtroom
The families of the deceased have organized a “March for the Angels” through Kočani almost every Saturday, demanding justice. On the eve of the trial, they also marched in Skopje, where they received support from thousands of citizens.
The tragedy in Kočani occurred on the night between March 15 and 16, during a performance by the music group DNA – sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited the ceiling in the disco, the fire spread quickly, and the panic and the narrow exit from the building caused a stampede. According to the prosecutor’s office, there were over 500 people in “Pulse” on the fateful night.
According to the indictment, the building did not even meet the minimum technical requirements for conducting catering activities and did not have a permit for reconstruction, because it was a space where other activities had previously taken place, did not have a report on protection against fires, explosions and hazardous materials, and no plan and assessment for protection and rescue had been prepared.
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North Macedonia, Kočani fire trial begins
Last March, a fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kočani turned into one of the worst tragedies in North Macedonia’s recent history, killing 63 people. The trial began in recent days, with 35 people in the dock
shutterstock_2377734171
© SOMKID THONGDEE/Shutterstock
On November 19 in Skopje the trial began for 35 defendants and three companies charged with the death of 63 mainly young people in the tragic fire at the Pulse discotheque in Kočani on March 16. All defendants and the representatives of the three companies pleaded not guilty.
The defendants are former and current ministers, former mayors of Kočani, inspectors and other civil servants. The 15 prosecutors are also conducting a separate investigation into 26 police officers for the crime of “Serious crimes against public security”, and an indictment is expected in early December.
The trial is taking place in the largest courtroom in the country, near the Idrizovo prison on the outskirts of Skopje.
On the first day of the trial, several hours passed while the court registered all those present and recorded the powers of attorney of all parties involved. After the opening statements of the Prosecution, almost all of the defendants’ lawyers requested a delay in the start of the trial, citing the fact that the case against the Rubicon agency, responsible for the security of Pulse, was added to the original one. The prosecutors, however, opposed the postponement because they claim that there is no substantive change.
The request caused skepticism among the parents of the deceased, who spoke to the media after the first hearing. “We see a scheme by lawyers and defendants who are manipulating our pain,” said Toma Stojanov, father of deceased football player Andrej Stojanov.
Stojanov added that relatives fear suffering the same fate as the families in other trials, like the cases of the bus accidents of the companies “Durmo Tours” near Laskarci near Skopje in 2019 and “Besa Trans” in Bulgaria in 2021, as well as the fire in the modular hospital in Tetovo in 2021. Those families have shared that trials are taking too long and that the full responsibility for these cases has not been ascertained.
At the beginning of the trial, Judge Dijana Gruevska-Ilievska said that the judicial council can guarantee transparency and professionalism, but did not want to predict when the trial would end.
“I know about the pain, we are all parents here, we will respect the families’ feelings, but we are professionals and we must respect everyone’s rights. We cannot guarantee you a speedy trial, but we will do everything we can to ensure that the process runs smoothly… No one knows how long it will take. Whether it will last five months, five years, no one knows. Let’s not have prejudices”.
According to prosecutor Borche Janev, the fire did not occur solely due to the negligence of one human being, but rather systemic negligence and evasion of legal rules. He emphasized that the club had been at risk for years, and the first defendant, the owner of “Pulse”, was not interested in safety and had been circumventing norms.
“The evidence will show that none of these defendants wanted to see the danger that had been lurking for years. However, it was their duty to do so. If the building where the nightclub was located had met the standards, the fire itself would have been remembered as a dangerous incident, but not as a mass grave,” said the prosecutor. His opening remarks were greeted with applause by the relatives of the victims.
The trial continued on November 25, when the Court accepted the objections of some of the defense attorneys that the indictment integrated with the list of evidence had not been delivered to the defendants.
The trial is taking place under enhanced security measures. In addition to the defendants and representatives of the prosecution and defence, relatives of the victims and domestic and foreign journalists are also present in the courtroom
The families of the deceased have organized a “March for the Angels” through Kočani almost every Saturday, demanding justice. On the eve of the trial, they also marched in Skopje, where they received support from thousands of citizens.
The tragedy in Kočani occurred on the night between March 15 and 16, during a performance by the music group DNA – sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited the ceiling in the disco, the fire spread quickly, and the panic and the narrow exit from the building caused a stampede. According to the prosecutor’s office, there were over 500 people in “Pulse” on the fateful night.
According to the indictment, the building did not even meet the minimum technical requirements for conducting catering activities and did not have a permit for reconstruction, because it was a space where other activities had previously taken place, did not have a report on protection against fires, explosions and hazardous materials, and no plan and assessment for protection and rescue had been prepared.
