Skopje Student Trial
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A trial began on December 5, 1927, in Skopje, then in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, against students and activists of the Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organization. A total of 20 Macedonian Bulgarian students stood on the bench. They were accused of fighting for an Independent Macedonia. Before the trial, the students were subjected to torture.The trial ended on December 10. Several defendants were imprisoned, while others were acquitted. As a result of the verdicts after the trial, Mara Buneva killed the Serb Velimir Prelić, the chief public prosecutor in the case.
A series of incidents occurred in Vardar Macedonia, leading to increased Yugoslav security measures.[1] The Kingdom of Yugoslavia then pursued a policy of Serbianisation towards the Slavic population of the area, called "Southern Serbia". Dimitar Gyuzelov, a student and member of the Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organization (MYSRO), was arrested on May 29, 1927. Jovan Gavrilović, a postal office employee from Gevgelija, reported him to the authorities after Gyuzelov attempted to recruit him to the MYSRO. Several other MYSRO members from Skopje were arrested.[1] As a result, many arrests occurred throughout Yugoslav universities, affecting around 70 people. The youth organization of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) was discovered. However, most of the suspects were released, while 20 students remained in custody.[2] The 20 students were tortured.[3] The trial was scheduled for December. The students were indicted based on signed confessions, evidence discovered in Gyuzelov's home (such as the organization's statute, literature and press), written instructions for gathering intelligence, and Gavrilović's testimony.[1]