Three fingers joined for the holy trinity as a trademark. A phantom and a machete in front of a map of “Great Macedonia.” Collecting signatures and donations to “defend the name of the MOC” (Macedonian Orthodox Church). The brutal murder of 14-year-old Vanja Gjorchevska from Skopje, which was preceded by another liquidation, of 74-year-old Pance Zhezhovski from Veles.
All these developments might seem incompatible, or could serve as be an inspiring story of a thriller with a dramatic plot realized on a movie screen, however they are part of the sad reality that Macedonian society is living these days.
“In order for young people to return to Macedonia, we need to give them hope that there really is a need and they should return home. But there is a big problem here. We, ‘the vampires’ are the biggest problem, not the young people.”
This was a message addressed to young people by Ljupco Palevski (58) in a video published on November 12, 2023 on the YouTube channel entitled “Treta Politika” (Third Politics). It is a channel of the staunchly pro-Kremlin political party “Desna” (“The Right”), whose founder and president is Palevski, known to the public by his nicknamed Palcho.
Just two weeks later, Palevski became the prime suspect in a double murder of Panče Žežovski (74) from Veles and of the Vanja Gjorčevska (12) from Skopje. The Ministry of the Interior announced that three days after the murder of Vanja, and one week after the murder of Žežovski, according to he left for Serbia, and then via Bulgaria to Turkey. Investigative authorities located Palevski via INTERPOL on December 5. Turkish police has arrested him, and he now awaits extradition.
Besides Palevski, as the prime suspect, four more men have been arrested as murders suspects. A judge in a preliminary proceeding sentenced Vlatko Kešišev, Velibor Manev and Bore Videvski, as well as the father of the girl Vanja, Aleksandar Gjorčevski, to 30 days of detention late in the evening on December 6.
A connection between some of the detainees with the defected and then arrested Palevski, in addition to the suspicions about the double murder, is their joint membership political party “Desna.” This is a radical right-wing party, whose slogan, according to their Facebook posts, reads “Pure, modern Macedonian nationalism”.
The police said that they had already conducted a search in the political party headquarters, during which “certain materials” were confiscated. All individuals police found in the party headquarters on “Dimo Hađi Dimov” street in Kisela Voda, Skopje were members of that party. The Ministry of the Interior did not want to share details about what evidence was provided by the party’s headquarters, in the interest of the investigation.
Media used police reports to infer that, the Renault Kangoo vehicle used to kidnap the 14-year-old Vanja, is directly connected by this political party. According to the investigation, the owners of the “Reno”, who were questioned and then released, gave the vehicle for rent to an officially unnamed political party.
In addition, the man from Skopje who transported Palevski from Serbia to Bulgaria, who has been detained for 48 hours, is also associated with the political party, as evidenced by the content of Facebook posts and photos viewed by Meta.mk .
“Desna” was registered in the Basic Civil Court in December 2022, and it was officially logged in the Central Registry on January 5, 2023. Besides Palevski, a certain Ljupčo Jovanovski is registered as founder. In the decision of the Basic Civil Court Skopje from December 12, 2022, it is stated that the person who will represent the political party and its president is Palevski, while Jovanovski is responsible for the material and financial operations of the party.
Posts on the social networks by the radical “Desna”, whose website is currently “under construction”, provide impression that its members are focused on spreading their influence and extreme-right ideology online. Majority of video products in the form of podcast shows and posts include harsh wording used to attack their political opponents.
Thus, on their YouTube channel entitled “Treta Politika”, “Desna” published several monologues of their President Palevski under the names “KRSHmuabeti” (hard talks) and “FakCHEKERI” (factcheckers) as well as “debate” shows in which Speakers are usually other members of this party.
The party is noticeably pro-Russian. In one of the videos with Palevski himself described the war in Ukraine in Moscow terminology – as a “special action for denazification.”
President Stevo Pendarovski, commenting on the case, said on December 6 that the prime suspect for the murders is “known for spreading hate speech decades ago and no one has done anything to him”.
“The policies of his party through his mouth only spread hatred towards certain ethnic communities living in Macedonia. So, it does not surprise me that such rhetoric, which preceded the crime, is now joined by others with a similar structure – politicians or public figures, whatever, or people active on social networks, who are just continuing what he has been doing for years, and the system unfortunately, he did not react,” said President Pendarovski.
What further shocked the public, in addition to all other terrifying circumstances, is that Palevski went live on YouTube and Facebook and speaks on political topics to collect party votes in the days after the girl’s murder.
He was scheduled to appear on “KRShmuabeti” as the only speaker on November 26 (Sunday), the evening before Vanya’s abduction and murder. But around 8 pm he released a statement saying that the show is being postponed due to “technical reasons”.
Two days later – the day after the abduction and murder of little Vanja, Palevski went live at 10 o’clock in the morning, and talked with another co-host about political topics and the future plans of the party whose president he is. Then, a large number of announcements followed regarding the Ministerial Council of the OSCE that was held in Skopje, when appeals to find the 14-year-old Vanja, who was reported missing, were already widespread via social networks and the local media.
Seen from today’s point of view, the calmness with which the prime suspect for the brutal murder of a minor, conducts a political conversation just one day after the execution, is frightening.
From icons, crosses and the “holy trinity” to criminal charges for aiding and abetting murder
The trademark of the group, used in the sign-off of almost every show, is three fingers joined together. Palevski angrily explained on November 28 that they represent the “holy trinity”, but also “the three Macedonias” (referring to parts of the region under Greece and Bulgaria).
“That’s all you know. This holy trinity is also Macedonian for you, you blind people,” Palevski shouts in response to the comments that are broadcast as part of the show.
Harsh words and expressions of aggression can be observed on several other occasions in this and in the show published later that day, but none of the several hundred viewers who followed them live had any idea what activities the host and leader of “Desna” was engaged in just a few hours before.
Photos on the Facebook profiles of the other suspects also indicate that they had long supported radical ideologies. A map of “Greater Macedonia” with a machete standing in front of it can be seen in several photos published by the suspect Vlatko Kešišev, and in one of them, he is even holding the machete in his hand, while wearing a balaclava hat on his head.
“Keep it, you might need it soon,” says one of the comments, whose author Kešišev welcomes below.
Kešišev’s Facebook profile is no longer available.
Common to all the suspects is the frequent presence in church facilities and activities, which is also immortalized with photos on social networks. Dozens of photos can also be found from stands for collecting signatures for the declaration, which demands “preserving the name of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric”.
All four suspects have recordings from such stands, as well as photos of icons and crosses in homes.
The radical right-wingers united in “Desna”, according to the posts on the official Facebook profile of the party and its president Palevski, as well as according to the pages of the other suspects, regularly promote conspiracy theories, including those about the COVID-pandemic and those opposing the so called “globalists.”
Meta.mk sent questions to this political party requesting comment on the current developments, given that three of the suspects in the double murder are its members, and whether the party will continue its activities.
“Desna” did not respond to our questions until the time of publication of this article, but a few hours after they published a statement on their Facebook profile, in which they say that the information they encountered “brought them shock and disbelief.”
The party announced the freezing of the membership, functions and activities of the accused until the end of the process.
“The political party Right, for its members and the president of the party, if it is proven that they are guilty, demands that they be punished the most severely. In the meantime, we appeal to respect the constitutionally guaranteed presumption of innocence of the suspects and the accused, until the contrary is proven. The Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement agencies have a difficult and delicate task to fully expose all the elements of these events. For this reason, we, the members of the party, are at the disposal of the law enforcement authorities, with the aim of shedding light on the criminal legal event and bringing the perpetrators of these heinous cases before the Court. PP Desna, according to the Statute of the party, will freeze the membership, functions and activities of the accused until the end of the process. Once again, we express our sincere regrets and condolences to the families of Vanja and Panche,” said the statement of “Desna” published two days after the identities of the suspects were revealed.
Meanwhile, “third party” shows and podcasts have not been published for several days. Our checks on Viber’s official mobile phone number, which goes by the name Palcho, showed that he was last active on December 2, two days after he went on the run and one day before he was reported to be a suspect. organizer and executor of the two murders.
Otherwise, according to what was stated in one of the last shows, the party hoped that in the next parliamentary elections in May next year, it will enter the Macedonian legislature with its own deputies.
Late yesterday evening, Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski, while announcing that Palevski was arrested in Turkey, also referred to the rhetoric of this party, which he indicated should be deregistered.
“Such a criminal nest must be smashed to the end. That party must be deregistered and accused of foreign influence,” said Spasovski.
When asked about what kind of foreign influence, Spasovski answered with a question: “We don’t know what views the person and his party advocated?” We don’t know about his broadcasts in which they directly opposed the progress of the state, NATO, the European path and so on?!”
The Ministry of the Interior stated that despite the fact that with the filing of the criminal complaint, their work is completed, they remain open to any cooperation with the prosecution.
“We are at your disposal, 24 hours a day, however necessary, to clean up such criminal dens that exist and that through making policies, agreements, politics, etc., influences from outside, practically wanted to destabilize,” said the Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski.
