On Monday, the Criminal Court made a decision concluding the preparatory phase in the process against 13 police officers and chiefs from Kochani and Shtip who are charged with endangering general safety and security in connection with the 2025 Pulse nightclub fire. The decision means that the main hearing phase is starting.
The Court noted that one of the lay judges was related to the wife of one of the defendants. The request to recuse her was nonetheless denied because, as it was explained, there is no intensive or direct communication with the parties in the procedure. The Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that it fully stood by the filed charge.
On Monday, the defense for some of the defendants stated that the entire charge was disputable, without the possibility of singling out individual circumstances as indisputable.
Additionally, some of the attorneys pointed out that a parallel procedure being conducted in another case represented a procedural obstacle and that it was necessary to determine which facts would be considered relevant in the process. Different views were also expressed regarding the evidentiary procedure. All 13 officers pleaded not guilty.
According to the charge, the accused were doing duty work on March 16, 2025, but they were also engaged at the nightclub. They didn’t stop the party, nor did they prevent the activation of the pyrotechnics.