The defense attorney of the first defendant, Dejan Jovanov – Deko, lawyer Ivana Kocevska, reacted to the direct threats against his life at the last hearing and demanded that it be recorded in the minutes, reported MIA.
At the last hearing, part of the injured party, while the defense of the first accused before the Court presented a request for the abolition of detention, reacted violently by shouting “let him go, let us judge him”.
Kocevska, before the start of the trial for the fire in the “Pulse” discotheque in Kočani, in which 63 people died and more than 200 people were injured, also reacted to, as she said, the “selectivity of the measures to ensure presence, as well as the selectivity of prosecution” of the Prosecutor’s Office, which, as she said, should have initiated proceedings following the threats to life.
– I am presenting a proposal for the extremely necessary exclusion of the public, given that the Court is obliged to ensure order and protection of the rights of the accused – said Kocevska.
Judge Dijana Gruevska Ilievska emphasized that so far not a single threat has been noted on the minutes, regardless of which side it is from.
– First he will be warned, then he will be excluded and punished. It is known when the public is excluded, and in this period they are not the public, but damaged in the procedure. If there is a need, it can be excluded individually – said the judge.
The prosecutor’s office reacted to the proposal, pointing out that it is known when and under what circumstances the public is excluded.
– The proposal is completely unfounded, as illegal. The exclusion of the public does not apply to the parties and the injured parties – the prosecutor responded.
Regarding the official prosecution, the prosecutor said that it is probably a confusion and she should take into account the intensity of the threats and the real possibility of realization.
– In the specific case, the Court acted correctly, and a verbal reprimand was issued – said the prosecutor.
The defense of Jane Jancevski and Martin Georgiev at the beginning also presented a request to cancel the measure of house arrest, pointing out that the reasons for its determination no longer exist.
Before the start of today’s hearing, the court informed that the requests for the cancellation of security measures for Bekim Hadziu and Todor Jovanov are rejected as unfounded.
At the beginning of today’s hearing, the prosecution informed that they received a statement from Dario Trifunov’s parent, in which it is said that his son is abroad and will not be able to attend today’s trial, as well as in the near future, while, as indicated, he does not leave any information on how to contact him.
– That is why we suggest that his statement be read, because this person as a witness is unavailable to the law enforcement authorities – said the Prosecutor’s Office.
The court informed that they received a notification from the Ministry of Internal Affairs that the witness Aleksandra Pepelarovska is not available to the law enforcement authorities.
Today’s hearing continues with the hearing of the director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Aleksandar Stankov.
At the last hearing, the prosecutor’s office presented the autopsy findings and opinions from the Institute of Forensic Medicine on the causes of death of the victims, as well as medical documentation and data on the injured who called for medical assistance after the fire in which 63 people died and more than 200 people were injured.
At the previous hearing, part of the injured party, while the defense of the first accused before the Court presented a request for the abolition of detention, reacted violently by shouting “let him go, let us judge him”.
The fire at the Pulse discotheque in Kočani broke out on March 16, 2025, during a performance by the DNA group, and is one of the heaviest tragedies in the country’s recent history. The trial is led by the judge Diana Gruevska Ilievska, and the prosecution is represented by a team of 15 public prosecutors.
