Macedonia's Gruevski Gets Hungary Asylum, Alleges Murder Plot

Nikola Gruevski said in a lengthy Facebook post on Tuesday that Hungary has granted him political asylum, citing what he said was "politically-orchestrated persecution by Macedonia's new government led by the Social Democrats".

The former Macedonian premier said that if he went to jail, his life would have been in danger as he had heard about a plot to assassinate him.

"I decided not to fulfil the Social Democrats' wish, while they plunder and sell out the country and its national interests, for me to be locked away based on a political decision and to fight for my survival in jail every day," he wrote.

He said that in his 30-page asylum request, he had noted all the acts of discrimination, torture and legal violations in the court cases against him, insisting that they were politically motivated.

"I stated that the government wants to take my freedom by using undemocratic steps and methods and by abusing the prosecution and judicial system," Gruevski wrote.

As one of the "fundamental breaches of the laws", he noted the court's decision to grant the use of the illegal wiretaps [which were published in 2015 by the then opposition Social Democrats] as evidence during the trials.

Gruevski was found guilty of the illicit purchase of a luxury limousine and was supposed to report to start serving his two-year jail term on November 9, but failed to do so.

He escaped to neighbouring Albania and then, with the help of Hungarian diplomats, managed to reach Budapest and apply for asylum.

Gruevski, who was the long-standing leader of the right-wing VMRO DPMNE party and prime minister from 2016 until 2016, during which time he was widely accused of authoritarian tendencies and of harbouring corruption.

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