Greece Sentences Macedonia Activist

One of the leading figures and symbols of the unrecognized Macedonian minority movement in northern Greece, the orthodox priest Nikodim Carknjas claims he is a victim of classic state sponsored repression.

He was recently sentenced to six months in prison for beating of a 12 year old seven years ago. But Carknjas claims in local newspapers he is innocent and that the state sentenced him out of revenge for his open pro-Macedonian activities.

“The main judge did not let us prove that I did not hurt the child because she wanted to sentence me as soon as she could,” he said.

The only priest of Macedonia’s Orthodox church actively preaching in Greece claims that the child was part of the group that attacked his family house in northern Greece with eggs and stones shouting to him to go away.

“I only managed to grab the child by his arm,” he told the local Utrinski Vesnik daily. After the child refused to gave the names of his parents he brought him to the police station.

But the police registry notes that Carknjas allegedly attacked the child and beat him.

Archimandrite Nikodim Carknjas is one of the loudest fighters for the rights of the Macedonians in Greece. He claims he is under constant pressure by state authorities.

Athens does not recognise the existence of a Macedonian identity in Greece other than Greek Macedonian. The small party called ”Rainbow” that represents this group of people is banned from registering as being a party of the Macedonian minority.

Skopje on the other hand claims that Macedonians living in Greece are under constant pressure and that their basic civil rights are undermined.

The two countries are gridlocked in a row over Macedonia’s name as well. Greece in April blocked Macedonia’s entry into NATO claiming Skopje’s use of that name implies its claims over its own northern province called the same.

UN sponsored name talks have so far been fruitless.