The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has found that the annulment of then-President Gjorgje Ivanov’s 2016 pardons was justified. However, fair trial rights of two of the three applicants in the case of [former Bitola Mayor Vladimir] Taleski and Others v. North Macedonia, former Transport Minister Mile Janakieski and Kosta Mitrovski, who was at that time a public official and chair of the local electoral committee for Centar, were violated.
“In the case of Taleski and Others v. North Macedonia the Court held that there had been no violation of the right to a fair trial on account of the legislative intervention permitting the annulment of the presidential pardons and the continuation of the criminal proceedings against the applicants. The case concerned a legislative intervention, the 2016 Pardon Act, which permitted the annulment of presidential pardons that had been granted to the applicants six weeks earlier and which, at the time, had been considered to be final and irrevocable”, the Strasbourg Court said.
Janakieski and Mitrovski will be paid 3,600 euros each.