SDSM tried to break the Macedonian spirit when it gave us Draconian prison sentences, and unfortunately, they succeeded, said political prisoner Jane Cento in his latest statement from the Stip prison. Cento was sentenced to 15 years in prison for participating in the April 27th incident in the Parliament. Earlier this week, two activists of the SDSM led Colored Revolution, Zdravko Saveski and Vladimir Kunovski, who took part in the torching of the office of President Ivanov in 2016, were given a six months suspended sentence.

The law provides that those who endanger the constitutional order and safety of the Republic of Macedonia, using explosives or fire – I repeat: fire – will be sentenced to a prison term of no less than 10 years. The Colored Revolution set our entire country on fire, citizens could not get out in the streets, over 200 police officers and innocent citizens were injured, there was violence every day, and in this instance, the office of the President of the country was set on fire. There are apartments in the same building, people live above that office. They were well organized, they abused the people for months, set Macedonia on fire and now they get suspended sentences, while many were not even charged, said Cento, who is the great-grandson of another political prisoner, Macedonia’s first President Metodija Andonov – Cento, who was persecuted by the Communists.

He adds that the purpose of the extreme sentences given to him and other political prisoners by SDSM had as its goal to instill fear in the public and to “break the Macedonian spirit – sadly, they succeeded in this”.