In a letter, political prisoner Jane Cento wrote a letter from the Shutka detention prison, announcing that he has asked to be transfered to Idrizovo, the same prison where his great-grandfather was sent by the Communist regime following the Second World War.

Cento is sentenced to 15 years in prison for “terrorism”, after he refused the offer of amnesty in the April 2017 trial.

I’ve been in Shutka for 20 months, I’ve met so many Macedonians, Albanians, Roma, Serbs, Bosniaks, and nobody wants any trouble, they all want to find a way to free themselves from the injustices which are being perpetrated, Cento wrote, dismissing the fears that he may be subjected to attack in prison, following the beating he endured in January.

Part of the letter is addressed to his son, who will soon be 4. As minors are not allowed prison visits, Cento hasn’t seen his child for 20 months, and the transfer to Idrizovo might allow him a family visit.

Metodija Andonov – Cento, the first post-WW2 President of Macedonia, was tried by the Yugoslav regime for opposing Communism and was kept in Idrizovo for nine years (1946-1955) and died two years after his release. It is widely believed that the singling out of Jane Cento out of the group of protesters in April 2017, and the lengthy prison sentence, is meant to punish the family anew.