December 17, 2007

On September 21, 2007, shortly after returning from the 86th Annual Macedonian Patriotic Organization Convention in Detroit, USA, Mr. Rizinski was arrested in Skopie, Macedonia under bribery allegations. While in the United States, Mr. Rizinski served as our special guest at the MPO Convention, and also made an application for an MPO Chapter in Skopie within our organization. Mr. Rizinksi has openly and publicly proclaimed his Macedono-Bulgarian heritage in the past, and we suspect that his arrest was aimed to discredit him in attempting to start the first MPO Chapter in Macedonia.

In the weeks leading up to his trial, it was with great shock and disappointment that we learned of Mr. Rizinski's continued incarceration since the day of his arrest. His bail was denied by the Macedonian court on account of his dual citizenship (Macedonian and Bulgarian), despite the fact that his family provided full financial guarantees for bail.

On November 26, 2007, following a short hearing, Mr. Rizinski was sentenced to three and half years in prison for allegedly taking a bribe in the amount of 6,000 Euro from a person with a criminal record, currently under investigation himself. According to his lawyer, Mr. Savo Kocarev, the case against Mr. Rizinski was a police set-up because of his ethnic and political beliefs as well as to derail the first MPO Chapter in Macedonia. Mr. Kocarev submitted a petition to the Appellate Court, and a request that Mr. Rizinski be granted bail until the appeal is heard by the higher court, which is in accordance with Macedonian law. He emphasized that Mr. Rizinski has no prior criminal record and that his dual citizenship cannot be used as justification for the denial of his bail.

We found this to be particularly disturbing, in light of the fact that Mr. Rizinski had been attacked and injured on January 13, 2007, during the annual memorial service for Mara Buneva in Skopie, by a large organized group of hooligans who were openly expressing ethnic hate towards Macedonian Bulgarians. The police failed to intervene or investigate this incident and most of the hooligans remain unidentified and unprosecuted to this date.

We strongly support the long overdue fight against corruption and organized crime in the Republic of Macedonia that the government is currently trying to implement; however, this should not be a pretext for the violation of human rights of individuals with dissenting opinions especially in a country that aspires to be part of the EU.

We also realize that the law should be the same for all citizens, and that according to the law, the courts are independent in the Republic of Macedonia. At the same time, we are aware of numerous issues within the judiciary system in the Republic of Macedonia that are regularly stressed in the reports of international organizations and human rights monitors as the main obstacles to the progress of democracy in the country. We remain concerned that under these circumstances, Mr. Rizinski was not granted a fair trial or appeal process, which is ongoing. Moreover, given the slow process of appeals, his continuing detention and denial of bail serves only to prevent him from preparing an adequate defense.

Preserving the human rights and freedoms of all the ethnic groups in Macedonia is as important as preserving its name. In the Republic of Macedonia, all people should be treated equally, regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliations, be they those who believe that they are decedents of Alexander the Great or be they Macedonians who take pride in their Bulgarian heritage, like our forefathers who fought in the Ilinden uprising against the tyranny of the Ottoman Empire for a truly free, independent and united Macedonia. Based on those principles MPO was founded in 1922 in the USA, one of the greatest democratic countries in the world.

It is in this spirit that we appeal to you to do everything in your power to enable Mr. Rizinski to defend himself while free and not in custody, like any other citizen of Macedonia should be treated - innocent until proven guilty. Mr. Rizinski's beliefs and his dual citizenship should not be viewed as an excuse for limiting his human and civil rights, particularly at this crucial juncture as Macedonia strives to join the European Union.

We sincerely appreciate your prompt action and an immediate follow-up on this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

George Lebamoff
MPO President

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