Skopje, 26 February 2025 (MIA) — The Felix case trial, against Ljube Krstevski and Branko Bilbilovski accused of torturing a peaceful stray dog who subsequently died on Jan. 7 due to the inflicted injuries, was postponed Tuesday while animal rights activists protested in front of the Skopje Criminal court demanding justice.

The trial was postponed because one of the defendants and his defense had not received the notice of charges or court summons. 

Krstevski and Bilbilovski are charged with the criminal offense of killing and torturing animals under Article 233 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, which prescribes a prison sentence up to three years for the crime.

Judge Lidija Petrovska is presiding over the trial. The prosecution is represented by Public Prosecutor Zoran Zdravev.

At the protest, Anima Mundi animal rights association members, who had filed the criminal report, said they were requesting harsher penalties for perpetrators of animal abuse.

According to animal rights activist Stole Velkovski, the defendants had cruelly beat up Felix, a quiet stray, hitting him more than ten times with a metal rod.

After living in agony in the next month and a half, the dog eventually succumbed to the injuries, Velkovski said, adding: "We will not allow his death to be forgotten, be kept under wraps or go unpunished."

"We are here because we demand responsibility and prison sentences for the perpetrators and accomplices," he said.  

The animal rights activists have filed a motion to the Prime Minister Hristijan Mickovski, Minister of Justice Igor Filkov and Minister of Interior Panche Toshkovski to propose amendments to the Criminal Code that would introduce stricter penalties for animal torture crimes, including animal fighting and abandoning animals.

Velkovski said Anima Mundi, in the last ten days alone, had received numerous reports of extreme cruelty to animals. Examples he listed were an overworked horse made to pull a wagon collapsing on the street; a shot cat hung on a vehicle as a trophy; a dog with a fractured skull dying without any intervention from the police; a hanged dog used to as a practice prop for another dog; two hanged wolves; and dog fights promoted and broadcast online.

Also, Velkovski said, pets abandoned by their owners usually ended up poisoned, beaten and dying on the street, which has made the country's stray animal problem even worse.

The Felix trial hearing has been postponed to March 13. mr/