from the start of the new yugoslavia, the authorities organised frequent purges and trials of macedonian communists and non-party people were 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, forming of conspirative political groups or organisations, demands for greater democracy and the like. in 1948, being fully disappointed by the policy of the authorities, brashnarov complained of it in letters to joseph stalin and to georgi dimitrov. he did so together with pavel shatev. as a result, he was arrested in 1950 and imprisoned in goli otok labor camp where he died the following year.