Justice Minister Bojan Marichikj posted Sunday on Facebook that the news published in some media that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg had ruled that the abolition of former President Gjorge Ivanov was valid, is a “fake news.”

“What is true is that certain persons accused or convicted in the trials of the former Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) have initiated proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, that problematize the ongoing trials in North Macedonia, in regard to Ivanov’s act of abolition,” Marichikj said.

He noted that the European Court of Human Rights on September 25, 2020, in response to the government submitted two sets of applications filed against the country before this international court, in relation to cases that are pending before domestic courts with regard to wiretapped conversations.

“However, European Court of Human Rights has not decided on these applications, but they were only submitted in response to the government of North Macedonia on September 25, 2020, and the procedure on their decision has yet to begin next year,” he said.

According to Marichikj, the information on the possible consequences of the ongoing cases before the domestic courts is an absolute speculation, as the proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights are in the early stage of communication, and the outcome of the proceedings will certainly have to wait for the decision of the Strasbourg Court, which may be passed after three years.

“However, the spread of the fake news that the cases have been discarded, represents pressure on the domestic judiciary not to decide on these cases. The only vision of the opposition for justice is Ivanov’s abolition,” he said.

“The trials will continue according to the existing regulations of our country, and there must be justice for everyone,” Marichikj said in a Facebook post.