HISTORY FORGIVES NO ONE

HISTORY FORGIVES NO ONE

The escape scenario, the trial, the verdict, the denials - all well-conceived

Chento could not have been arrested and convicted without the knowledge of the top Macedonian and Yugoslavian leadership

Who was bothered by Metodia Andonov Chento

After all these pages, allow us to end this book with the following:

Opening Metodia Andonov Chento’s file, even this late in time (1990) was particularly challenging especially as we found it difficult to open the archives or not to find them empty. Let us not speak of the wall of silence we ran into, as well as our unwelcome presence being viewed with suspicion and us being sent away with “well-meaning” distractions leading us far from the “serious” themes. We cannot say that our struggle to get to the bottom has not been great; neither can we say that we did not insist, persist and persevere in our quest to seek our information. But in the end, we can honestly say that we managed to get something. We managed, given the circumstances, to reveal what was possible about Chento. Of course, as the expression goes, we had to unlock seven padlocks in order to get people to open up and tell us what they knew in our quest to find the truth about Chento. It was an uphill battle but some people did open up their souls. We interviewed almost everyone who would speak to us; Chento’s contemporaries; direct and indirect participants, close and distant friends, as well as people who knew him or of him.

The taboos surrounding Chento are no longer the same today as they were yesterday. The conspiracy, we hope, will remain in the annals of time passed. And finally, we hope that we have uncovered the veil which, for more than four decades, had covered this mystery. We hope that we have broken, deconstructed and dismantled the

silence behind which hid the truth about Chento, the first president of the Republic of Macedonia.

We managed to find enough information to piece Chento’ life together from the time of his youth through the decades he worked at his store in the Prilep bazaar. We found out things about his character, his relation and attitude towards the ordinary people, his strongly irreconcilable attitude towards the various regimes and despots. Furthermore, we learned about his appearance in the ranks of the National Liberation War, his membership and role in the General Headquarters, his election as President of the Initiative Board and President of the ASNOM Presidium, his rise to the throne as the first president of Macedonia, his departure from political life, his arrest, his trial and his eleven years of imprisonment. Many of the people we spoke to believed that Chento was set up and his trial was rigged. And many of them have suggested that Chento be rehabilitated and returned to the pages of our history, where he belongs.

After everything that was said and done, the next logical thing to do is to ask the inevitable question: “Was Metodia Andonov-Chento guilty of any of this?”

We leave it to the readers to draw their own conclusion. As for the next step to take, do what the Prilep Fighters’ Association has suggested and that is form a special commission to clear Chento’s name by first demanding the removal of taboos and then allowing the truth to come out. The Andonov family has also submitted a request to the Skopje District Court, followed by a request to the Macedonian Public Prosecutor’s Office, demanding that Chento’s 1946 case and trial be reopened so that Chento’s name can be cleared.

History is written by historians. The lawyers are responsible for bringing justice. Our intention and desire through these pages was to open Metodija Andonov-Chento’s file and bring the reader closer to the truth. We all want to know what really happened to this unusual and significant Macedonian figure. We also want past wrongs to be corrected.

Acronyms

AVNOJ – National Anti-Fascist Liberation Council of Yugoslavia AFZH - Women’s Anti-Fascist Front ASNOM – Anti-Fascist Assembly of National Liberation of Macedonia BRP(k) – Communist Party of Bulgaria CPG - Communist Party of Greece CPM - Communist Party of Macedonia CPY - Communist Party of Yugoslavia CVG - Greek Civil War DAG – Democratic Army of Greece EAM – National Liberation Front ELAS – National Liberation Army of Greece EON – National Youth Organization EPON – All Greek National Youth Organization KOEM – Communist Organization of Aegean Macedonia KOS - Counter-intelligence Sector of JAN NKVD – People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs NOBG - Peoples Liberation Struggle in Greece NOBM - Peoples Liberation Struggle in Macedonia PLM – People’s Liberation Movement NOF - Peoples’ Liberation Front NOMS - Peoples’ Liberation Youth Organization OKNE - Communist Youth Organization of Greece ONOO – Local People’s Liberation Council OZNA – People’s Defense Division PAO - Pan-Hellenic Liberation Organization PDEG – Pan-Greek Democratic Union of Women PDOG – International Federation of Democratic Women POJ - Partisan Units of Yugoslavia PRM – People’s Republic of Macedonia SID - Information Services of the Yugoslav Ministry of Foreign Affairs SNOF - Slavo-Macedonian National Liberation Front SKP(b) – Communist Party of the Soviet Union UDBA - Directorate of State Security USSR – United Soviet Socialist Republics