On January 9th it was announced that Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid, who has been unjustly held in prison for three years in Skopje, was to be released on January 19th by court order (see here). Today it was announced by the Archdiocese of Ochrid that the release will not take place today and that it is on hold. Below are the details in the official announcement:
January 19, 2015
Announcement
The Council of the Court of First Instance Skopje I, on January 9, 2015, made the decision that Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje should be released from prison.
Last week, the Public Prosecution issued a written statement that it will not file an appeal against that court decision for releasing of Archbishop Jovan from prison.
Today, when it is a public holiday and a non-working day in R. Macedonia, the Public Prosecution has altered its stance, and through the media informed the public that it has indeed filed an appeal against the mentioned court decision, exactly on this day.
Hence, Archbishop Jovan was not released from prison today, in the foreseen time-period, despite the fact that there has been a court decision for his release.
