Pavel Shatev - Political Life

Political Life

After the beginning of World War II, Shatev was engaged in Communist conspiracy. As this was considered a political offence, he was arrested in Sofia and sentenced to 15 years of prison. After the end of the war, Shatev was released from the prison and took part in the creation of the new People's Republic of Macedonia as a member of ASNOM. He was elected Minister of Justice in the first communist government and later became vice-chairman of the Presidium of ASNOM. After the first elections for parliament, Shatev became a deputy. From the start of the new Yugoslavia, the authorities organised frequent purges and trials of Macedonian communists and non-party people charged with autonomist deviation. Many of the former left-wing IMRO government officials were purged from their positions, then isolated, arrested, imprisoned or executed on various (in many cases fabricated) charges including pro-Bulgarian leanings, demands for greater or complete independence of Yugoslav Macedonia, collaboration with the Cominform after the Tito-Stalin split in 1948, demands for greater democracy and the like. In 1948, disappointed with the policy of the new Yugoslav Macedonian authorities, Shatev, together with Panko Brashnarov, complained in letters to Joseph Stalin and to Georgi Dimitrov and to ask for help in maintaining the Bulgarian character of Macedonia. As a result, he was jailed for his alleged pro-Bulgarian and anti-Yugoslav sympathies for a one year. After that, Shatev was taken into home custody in Bitola.

On January 30, 1951, his dead body was found on Bitola's dung-hill.