The banning of the Citizen Association, "Radko", in Ohrid by the Constitutional Court in Skopie (21 Mar 2001), on the grounds that its activities promoted "racial and religious hate and intolerance" and "violated the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia", surely warranted some attention by the International media. Instead the silence was absolute. Accordingly, and from the numerous similar previous occurrences, one may only conclude, that so-called human rights' organizations are quite selective and judgemental in such matters. This is precisely why in the past, individuals like James Pettifer, have questioned whether organizations like the Helsinki Human Rights Group's reports on Balkan issues are politically subjective, rather than objective.
So what was "Radko's" hideous crime? Simply this, its members hold the view that they are Macedonians of Bulgarian ancestry. You see, within the Republic of Macedonia (
Vardar Macedonia), it remains a crime to question the ethno-specificity of Macedonians (Macedonian Honour Act), while laws prohibiting the possession of Bulgarian books were only repealed in July 1999, despite strong protests from communist politicians and academics. The communist old-guard (nomenklatura) and it's servile intelligentsia, who established their current privileged lifestyle during the totalitarian era, share a common trepidation about true democracy and any form of Macedonian-Bulgarian rapprochement. Little wonder the Serbian constructed anti-Bulgarian policies of the Yugoslavian era not only endure, but are actively encouraged at each and every possible opportunity.
While the Western media tediously pout how Vardar Macedonia was the only federated republic to peacefully gain its independence, not one report has ever bothered to explain exactly why. If we were to visit Croatia or Slovenia, one would see few, if any, reminders of the Tito era, or support for it's return. Not so in Vardar Macedonia. Tito's pictures still hang conspicuously, and sites/towns bearing his name, like Marshall Tito Square, still maintain that brand. On May 4 2000, the 20th anniversary of Tito's death, the headline of the Vecer newspaper in Vardar Macedonia read
TWENTY YEARS HAVE PASSED, WITH SORROW AND MISERY IN OUR HEARTS
Clearly these people are absolutely "heartless". But it gets even sicker. On the 25th anniversary Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski (aka Serbophile extraordinaire) suggested that a stature of Tito be erected in Skopie!
And there is no doubt, whatsoever, that neither Croatia or Slovenia voted for independence, with a rejoinder that allowed reunification with Yugoslavia at some future date! Even more damning is that celebrated leaders from the communist past (?), responsible for countless atrocities against the Macedonian people, which certainly more than qualify as crimes against humanity, continue to live an open luxurious lifestyle, immune from any accountability, let alone justice. Unbelievably, attempts in the pro-1991 era for even a token admission that such atrocities took place, are steadfastly resisted by communist politicians, on the grounds they nurture "pro-Bulgarian" sentiment. The communists however, neglect to admit that many present geriatric members of its own party were clearly implicated in those very same crimes. The grotesque hypocrisy of the communists was plainly exposed by the Skopie newspaper "Delo", when it
stated that the reality is,
THE EXECUTIONERS CANNOT REHABILITATE THEIR OWN VICTIMS
However bringing the latter individuals to justice is evidently of negligible concern to the likes of attorney, Professor
Georgi Marianovich, who would rather expend his resources and efforts to see "Radko" banned. After all, Macedonians who say they are Bulgarian, isn't that the very reason why individuals, associated with past abhorrent atrocities, still exist and evade justice in
Vardar Macedonia?