ANNUAL REPORT THE RIGHTS OF MACEDONIANS IN BULGARIA IN YEAR 2013

INTRODUCTION
Historical background Macedonian minority has been recognized in Bulgaria in the period 1946 - 1963. Macedonian language and history were taught in Bulgarian schools in the academic year 1947/1948, and there were broadcasts in Macedonian language on Bulgarian National Radio. In 1947-1948 there used to be functioning cultural autonomy in Pirin Macedonia which was later destroyed after the conflict between Stalin and Tito. During this period the Macedonians were freely allowed to self-determine themselves as Macedonians). As a result of the census in 1946 and 1956 s Macedonians identified themselves 169 5441 (in 1946) and 187 787 (in 1956). After 1963 began the policy of official denial and persecution of Macedonian identity and planned assimilation of Macedonians in 1965 and in 1075 around ten thousand Macedonians declared as Macedonians (mainly in the interior of the country where terror was weaker); despite strong pressure and repression during these censuses Macedonians were the first minority who became a victim of the new policy of building a unified Bulgarian nation, a process completed and culminated with the infamous "Revival process" of assimilation of the Turkish minority. While the policy of assimilation of the Turkish minority stopped with the fall of communism (due to the strong international pressure and interest) the policy of assimilation of the Macedonian minority had not changed. In fact, the policy of building a unified nation remains largely in force today and it can be found in the Constitutional protection of national unity (usually interpreted to mean based on ethnic unity), absence of the concept of minority in the Constitution and in all of Bulgarian legislation and frequent claims by the government that there are no minorities in Bulgaria. The continuum of this policy can be easily illustrated with the following examples: 1. Position of the BCP in year 1989 : "In our foreign political affairs successfully is being defended the historical truth that Bulgaria is one-nation state within which there is no foreign land or national minorities. "2 2. Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov on May 7, year 2010 at an official visit in Skopje said: "In Bulgaria there is no Macedonian minority, there are not any minorities, there are only people who have human rights."3

Krasimir Kanev, Legislation and policy towards ethnic and religious minorities in Bulgaria, in A. Kristeva (ed.) , Communities and identities in Bulgaria, Sofia, Petekston, 1998, p.97 2 For further unification of Bulgarian socialist nation, Decision of the Politburo of the Communist Party, Ex. 382, April 21, 1989, approved by the Politburo of the Communist Party of Protocol 69 on 11.IV.1989 3 Newspaper Time, May 7, year 2010, Igor Chavevski The chief of the Bulgarian diplomatic department does not recognize minorities, Mladenov never met any Macedonians in Bulgaria.

3. Andrey Kovachev, EU deputy from the then ruling party GERB, on Aug 7, year 2012 was interviewed on the Macedonian Channel 5. On the question if there was a Macedonian minority in Bulgaria, he answered: No, no, and no. Of course there is not a Macedonian minority! How could I explain it in other words? There are no minorities in Bulgaria!4 This continuity of totalitarian politics in the democratic period is symbolic expression in the use of the memorable phrase of Zhivkov that Macedonian minority in Bulgaria shall not be present and cannot be present from a series of politicians, ministers, euro members of parliament in European Bulgaria.5 So far, the existence of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria is constantly denied by the official Bulgarian authorities, starting from the dictator Todor Zhivkov in March year 19636 to year 2013, since the onset of democracy the Macedonian minority in practice has been denied by all authorities, as the following examples do not exhaust the list: - On January 2, year 1990 Foreign Minister Boyko Dimitrov in a formal statement. - March 6, year 1990, The Parliament with an official declaration.7 - On May 21, 1990 the same did the representative of Bulgaria to the United Nations Ivan Sotirov.8 President Petar Stoyanov and Georgi Parvanov through public statements in the media.

- Denial of the Macedonian minority is highlighted in several judgments since 2000, starting with the Constitutional Court, Sofia City Court, Sofia Appellate Court and the Blagoevgrad District Court.9

http://grid.mk/read/news/64869386/767576/bugarski-evropratenik-njama-makedonsko-malcinstvovo-bugarija-njama-njama. Andrey Kovachev is a deputy - head of the Commission of foreign affairs of EP and a member of the sub-Commission of security and defense. 5 On 17.11.2006 Christian Vigenin member of the leadership of the ruling BSP in Bulgaria and Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of European Socialists, and now foreign minister: "Macedonian minority in Bulgaria does not and cannot have."Same day Ivan Kolchakov, Bulgarian MP and General Secretary of the opposition UDF : "The question wether there is a Macedonian minority in Bulgaria is rhetorical. Not only that there is not but it cannot have . "To this point joins the MP and MEP from MRF Yanko Yankov,"No there is not, and there can be no Macedonian minority in Bulgaria" ( Lilia Tomova , Els de Groen seeks media coverage to look significant, newspaper "Duma ", 17.11.2006 BSPin the media ,, http://www.bsp.bg/cgi-bin/e-cms/vis/vis.pl?s=001&p=0030&n=000700&g = '& vis = 000 049 . ) On December 14, 2006 - The leader of the parliamentary party Order, Law , Justice , Yane Yanev , "No , there was not and there can be no Macedonian minority in Bulgaria " ( Galina Girginova Yane Yanev : The Parliament has to adopt a single position to end the speculation with the " Macedonian minority ", December 14, 2006 | 15:18 | Agency "Focus" ) . On the same day Plamen Rachev , MP of Coalition for Bulgaria: "There cannot be violated the rights of a minority that does not exist (Maria Stalyanova Plamen Ranchev : official Macedonian institutions do not accept the argument of existence of Macedonian minority in Bulgaria , December 14, 2006 | 15:37 | Agency "Focus" ) . 6 In Bulgaria minority "there is not and cannot be", BCP, Comintern and the Macedonian Question (1917-1946), part 2, The Archives speak, vol. 5, Appendix 1, p. 1288. 7 Newspaper Workers task No. 66, March 7, 1990, p.1 "There is neither historical nor legal, nor any other reason to look for such a minority," Macedonians are called " non-existent minority ." (See also Stoko Stokov , Macedonians in Bulgaria in their battle for human rights, Blagoevgrad 2005, p. 2). 8 Newspaper Duma, May 22, 1990, in his speech he called Macedonian awareness (selfdetermination; consciousness) nonexistent "artificial awareness, self-determination,consciousness " that someone " inside and outside" is trying to create something that "cannot be justified by the right of self-determination " . (see also Stokov, op. cit, 3)

Current Foreign Minister (see below).

- Bulgaria from 1963 to today simply does not recognize the existence of a Macedonian minority the country denies its existence. Denial is a policy inherited from the totalitarian communist past and it concerns the denial of the Macedonian nation, language and culture in general.

RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE WITH MACEDONIAN SELF-DETERMINATION IN YEAR 2013

Rights to self-determination The Macedonian minority is still officially denied by Bulgaria, and self-identification as Macedonian is treated as a hostile act directed against the Bulgarian state and nation. In 2013, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Christian Vigenin again maintained his position as earlier on as an MEP that in Bulgaria there is no Macedonian minority.10 In 2013 with Verdict 715 of 11.04.2013, SAS, President Svetlana Bozhkova, against Association Macedonian Club for Ethnic Tolerance said: an ethnic minority which is not historically structured and isolated on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria... There is no Macedonian ethnic minority in the Republic of Bulgaria, in the sense of the definition, contained in Recommendation 1134 of 1990 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, established and affirmed on the territory of the state as a group which members are citizens of the state and possess special religious, linguistic, cultural and other characteristic which will differentiate them from the majority of the population. - The negation is supported by the fact that a representative of the Macedonians had never been sent to the national Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues (NCCEII) and in 2013 there is not yet such a representative. In its official documents in which it has to use terms as a Macedonian minority or Macedonians, the Bulgarian government puts them in quotes.11 In June 2013 the Bulgarian government spread its position among various European institutions concerning the European integration of the Republic of Macedonia. Aware
9

Verdict 1 from 29th February 2000 about the Constitutional Case #3 of 1999, reportning Judge Canko Hadzistoychev (Published in State newspaper 18, 07.03.2000 .):In the Republic of Bulgaria there is no separate Macedonian ethnos.Decision by the Sofia City Court in October 2007.: There is no formed Macedonian ethnos in Bulgaria. Verdict 407 of 07.05.2009 by SAS, President Ivan Ivanov, regarding the registration of the Macedonian Cultural and Educational Association Nikola Vapcarov.: In the Republic of Bulgaria there is no formed Macedonian ethnos 10 : Daly, 04 2013 19:13, http://pressadaily.bg/publication/16427%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BD:-%D0%92%D0%91%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE/ 11 11 The Comments of the Bulgarian government on the Report of the Monitoring Committee And Implementation of the Framework Convention from 2010: "people identifying themselves as " Macedonians" (p 62). The report from 2012 of the Government the term Macedonian is absent in the tables of Census 2011.

of the scandalizing facts which it was containing, this document was disseminated as a non-paper. Judging by the facts we had access to, the Bulgarian government categorically denies the existence of Macedonian culture and history before the year 1944 and outside the borders of the present Republic of Macedonia. It denies too the existence of Macedonian minorities, and considers such as assurance as a violence of good neighboring relations.12 In this document it is directly stated: "we cannot and will not accept any claims by Skopje for "Macedonian national Minority in Bulgaria". The denial of Macedonian minority is part of the continuing denial of the Macedonian nation by Bulgaria and this can be clearly seen from the same document: No matter what the result of these efforts to build a Macedonian nation is, it cannot be used as an argument for Skopjes minority claims vis a vis neighboring countries. Bulgaria would like to underline that if such a nation-building process has started in 1944, it has been confined only to the then socialist Republic of Macedonia, and after 1991 in FYROM. No citizens of Bulgaria have taken part in such a process. Therefore, any claims by Skopje for a Macedonian national minority in Bulgaria, remain completely baseless and unacceptable. In the Bulgarian public opinion these are largely interpreted as indirect territorial claims and denial of the Bulgarian national identity in general.

Violation of the right of assembly Till this moment there is not one registered Macedonian organization in Bulgaria. It has been officially registered that there already had been won eight cases of breach of Article 11 in ECHR, yet none of the organizations got registration as official parties in Republic of Bulgaria.13 In 2013, the court refused the application for registration to yet another civil association aiming to protect the rights of the Macedonian minority. The organization in matter is the Macedonian club for ethnic tolerance. The motive for refusing is a mere claim that there is not a Macedonian minority. Verdict 715 of 11.04. 2013, SAS, President Svetlana Bozhkova, against Association Macedonian Club for Ethnic Tolerance. The Constitutional norm of art. 44, par. 2, prohibits organizations which activities are directed against the sovereignty, the territorial integrity of the country and the unity of the nation, towards encouraging racial, national, ethnic and religious hatred, towards the violation of the rights and freedoms of the citizens. As such follows to be qualified also the organization for the protection of the interests of an ethnic minority which is not historically structured and isolated on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria... In this case, from art. 2 par. 1 of the presented statute of the organization it is obvious that its basic goals are protection of the human and minority rights of the Macedonians and other minorities in Bulgaria (art. 2, par. 1, 4) and among the concrete
12

It is worth to compare the words of Minister Mladenov from May 2010 addressed to his Macedonian colleagues: If you want us to stop talking, lets start talking about Macedonian minority. 13 It has been officially registered that there already had been won eight cases of breach of Article 11 in ECHR, yet none of the organizations got registration as official parties in Republic of Bulgaria ( 3-5 2013 ).

activities to achieve these goals is indicated activity for the protection of the rights of the Macedonians (par. 2, point 3); organization of lectures, speeches and reports about the past of the Macedonians, about the revolutionery struggles of the Macedonians (p. 3), organization of Macedonian national gatherings, celebration of historical dates and events (p.6), collection, publication and conservation of memoirs, documents and other materials, connected to the destiny of the repressed Macedonians in Bulgaria (p.13), providing juridical and other assistance to repressed Macedonians and their heirs in Bulgaria (p.14), organization of rallies and demonstrations for the uphold and protection of the rights of its members and the rights of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria (p.10), presenting the problems of the repressed Macedonians of the Macedonian ethnic minority in front of the relevant international organizations and activities for their resolution. The systematic interpretation of such formulated goals in the statute and the means for their achievement indicates that it contains claims for the existence of a Macedonian ethnic minority which rights are violated and are subject to protection by the association. There is no Macedonian ethnic minority in the Republic of Bulgaria, in the sense of the definition, contained in Recommendation 1134 of 1990 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, established and affirmed on the territory of the state as a group which members are citizens of the state and possess special religious, linguistic, cultural and other characteristic which will differentiate them from the majority of the population. That's why the designation of such minority through non for profit organization-association, made to function to satisfy their specific needs, in reality it doesnt protect their rights, if they are no different from those of the other citizens but cultivates a different ethnic identity among a certain part of the Bulgarian citizens, identity which was not formed in a natural historical way and therefore is aimed against the unity of the nation, which is not allowed according to art. 44, par. 2 of the Constitution. 14
14

This decision is not an isolated case but it is a part of the Court position and practice which have already turned into a tradition. See for reference for example: Verdict 407 of 07.05.2009 by SAS, President Ivan Ivanov, regarding the registration of the Macedonian Cultural and Educational Association Nikola Vapcarov.: In the Republic of Bulgaria there is no formed Macedonian ethnos and part of the indicated in the Association statut claim that such ethnos exists, as a minority, without rights and are calling for its endurance and protection of the Macedonian cause, because of which they represent actions against the unity of the Bulgarian nation and its territorial integrity including as a basic consitiutional principle in the sense of article 44, 2 of the Consitiution. Also Blagoevgrad County Court, case 12/2010, rejects the registration demand of the Association of Repressed Macedonians: The registration is inadmissible in the sense of article 602, paragraph 2 of the Civic Procedural Codex as well as because the activity of the registrant structure will affect the unity of the Bulgarian nation. These conclusions are imposed from article 2, paragraph 2 of the Constitution where the means to achieve its goals are entrenched. The way they are formulated, the sense in which they are used and the invested content reveals their political character imposing the ignoring of the Bulgarian character of certain geographic regions. So in art. 2, paragraph 2, point 2 activities are foreseen, connected to the Macedonian past and heritage, organizing lectures, speeches and reports for past and present problems of the Macedonian people (.4), they proclaim collection, publishing and conservation of memoirs and other materials related to the repressed Macedonia in Bulgaria and also providing juridical and other assistance of activities of the repressed Macedonians. (see p. 13 14). All these lead to the conclusion that it is a claim

The above decision very clearly shows that even the mere claim that there is a Macedonian minority is considered unconstitutional, and tried to defend this rights or to develop its culture as threatening the unity of the Bulgarian nation and sovereignty operations.

Dialogue Over the past 23 years of democracy in Bulgaria there is no case in which the authorities have tried to start a dialogue with representatives of the Macedonian community in Bulgaria, although set recommendations in this regard, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, Advisory Committee On The Framework Convention for the protection of National Minorities. On their side various Macedonian organizations and parties have tried to start such a dialogue, but were either ignored or outright were refused a dialogue. In this case 2013 is not an exemption. Representatives of the Macedonians were not invited, neither have been consulted on any of the questions concerning the minorities in the country and were not registered in any institution dealing with similar issues. OMO Ilinden PIRIN this year has sent requests for meetings with the President, Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, the Secretariat of National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues Council of Ministers and to the Commission for Protection against Discrimination. Until the completion of this report, only the Office of the Prime Minister's replied, with requested meeting which shall be denied employment because of the great Prime Minister. The other institutions are not even bothered to respond. Authorities in Bulgaria continue to ignore the Macedonian minority and refuse any dialogue.

Participation in public and political life Due to the unregistering of the Macedonian parties and organizations the existing stereotypes and refusal to start dialogue with their representatives, the Macedonians are objectively left out of the social and political life in the country. There is no registered political party that advocates the rights and interests of the people of the Macedonian minority. The two parties that people with Macedonian identity have tried to register until present time (OMO PIRIN and OMO Ilinden PIRIN) have received a series of refusals and havent been registered till now. The authorities have also taken effective measures to make impossible the registration of such parties by changing the law and obvious personal pressure on members of these parties. It is worth mentioning that although since 1990 until today eight parliaments have been elected and replaced, with 2160 members of parliaments, i.e. 1 for every 3 to 4,000 citizens, it has never been a case until present time a member of parliament to be a person with Macedonian identity although according to the drastically lowered census results in this period Macedonians should have been one of every 800 to 3,500 citizens. Election laws, policies of discrimination and denial of registration, together
for registration of an association which goals and name are against the law. It cannot admitted that it is the case of a structure with goals to protect of the historical traditions and cultural wealth of a certain society. The realisation of the essential goals undoubtedly will negatively reflect on the unity of the Bulgarian nation and its sovereignty.

with the negative atmosphere makes this impossible. The representatives of the Macedonian minority are not represented in the relevant committees at central and regional level dedicated to the minorities.

Speech of hate Macedonians are subject of hate speech that is not discouraged but actually is considered acceptable, or seen as something that is right and even patriotic. The fact is that no one is penalized because of such statements, no institution has been self-ceased in such cases and the Macedonians are discouraged by rejecting their attempts to defend themselves in courts or in front of other institutions in the past. The fact is that the denial of Macedonian minority is not treated as hate speech! Example: On February 10, 2013, deputies from the ruling coalition and former Minister 15 Bozhidar Dimitrov declared the following: "Basically to be a Macedonist in Bulgaria should mean either of the two things: either be a total ignorant jerk, or know that Macedonism is a complete fabrication, but it pays well."16 The quoted government nonpaper is already a condensed speech of hate presenting the Macedonian nation as a Stalinist experiment. Macedonian nation, identity, language are put in quotes, the very existence of the Macedonian nation is treated as a fruit of Stalinist violence towards Bulgarians and the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria is not only denied but the only request to be recognized as such is been treated as breaching the good neighboring countries relations. Towards people with Macedonian self-determination, by the governement no steps were taken to promote tolerance. On the other hand, hate speech is quite obviously tolerated. Nothing is generally done to overcome negative and criminal stereotypes but separate groups of political elite even try very openly and with impunity to reinforce them.

Education and culture - Macedonian language is not taught, its very existence as a separate language in Bulgaria is denied. Nevertheless, it was recognized in the past and studied in the Bulgarian schools in the academic year 1947/1948 and was broadcasted on Bulgarian state radio in the early 60-es of XX century. - There is no possibility for studying Macedonian history and culture by Macedonian children. In Bulgarian history textbooks nothing is written about this minority and its contribution to Bulgaria. On the contrary, history is presented so that it conveys the idea that the Macedonian nation does not exist and that the Macedonian culture, history and language is Bulgarian.

15

Macedonist is a term used in Bulgaria in the sense of a person self-determining himself as Macedonian. 16 Bozhidar Dimitrov: The behavior of OMO Ilinden PIRIN is insolent, 10 February 2013 | 15:04 | Agency Focus, http://archive.is/1GvqI : , 10 2013 | 15:04 | "", http://archive.is/1GvqI

- The culture of the Macedonian minority has no financial or other support from the authorities; on the contrary organizations trying to devote to this activity do not get registered. - The government did not make any effort to publish books, magazines, newspapers in Macedonian language or did not pay attention to the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria. All such publications were self-financed by the minority. There has been lawless confiscation by security services of Macedonian newsletter "Macedonian Voice" in 2011, a case which had afterwards been concealed by the prosecution, the newsletter has not been reestablished, and no one has been punished, nor has any one claimed responsibility. - There are not programs in Macedonian language on Bulgarian state television and radio, and in many places in Blagoevgrad District members of various Macedonian organizations consistently report problems with the programs of the Macedonian TV. Macedonian TV programs regularly have been stopped from broadcasting on a number of cable TV in Pirin Macedonia, despite protests from the viewers; broadcasting staff was responding that it is because of pressure from the security services. Of course no single such case could be proved as no TV representatives would dare to witness those illegal activities officially.

CONCLUSION Macedonian minority in 2013 again continues to be denied, discriminated, a subject to unsanctioned hate speech and a victim of negative stereotypes in Bulgaria. None of the rights guaranteed to minorities does not apply to people with Macedonian selfdetermination but have been violated their basic human rights such as the right to selfdetermination and the right of association.