site.btaBulgaria Commemorates Victims of Communist Regime

On February 1, Bulgaria marks the Day of Gratitude and Homage to the Victims of the Communist Regime. The largest single spate of executions in Bulgarian history was carried out on this date 80 years ago. Commemorative events were held across the country on Saturday.

The Council of Ministers said on its Facebook page: "On February 1, 1945, three regents of the king, 67 MPs, ministers, officers, public figures, intellectuals and clergymen were shot to death by the so-called People's Court. We bow to the victims of communism." 

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov was quoted as saying [on the Facebook page of the Council of Ministers] that Bulgarians have a duty to remembering their history, because oblivion breeds new tyrannies. "Freedom and democracy are never a given - they are the responsibility of every generation."

Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev condemned the People’s Court as an attempt to justify political assassinations, calling it “a bloody baptismal font where the nation’s elite perished.” He honoured the victims of the communist regime, stressing the importance of preserving historical memory and recalling that his great-uncle, a Goryani resistance member, was imprisoned in Belene. “Its name still sends a chill down my spine. Nothing has been forgotten,” Georgiev said.

A wreath-laying ceremony in central Sofia honoured the victims of the communist regime.

Speaking at the event, Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev stressed the importance of reflecting on history: "If we do not want the heirs of this regime and its legacy to persist today, we must know how to act as a society." He said that preserving the memory of past violence requires daily efforts to uphold a democratic state and a democratic society. 

Georgiev also expressed hope that Parliament would pass legislation to remove communist symbols and monuments.

Kiril Petkov, Co-chair of Continue the Change, said on Facebook: "We must not forget this part of our history to prevent such events from ever happening again. On this day, I always think of my grandmother, Rayna Petkova, and the thousands who had the same fate but were not as lucky to survive."

He recounted how, when pressured to become a State Security informer and report on her relatives linked to [politician and leader of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union] Nikola Petkov, she refused, saying: "I will not work for your service, or for any service. I will prove myself a worthy Bulgarian through my honest work." She was sent to the Belene forced labour camp, transported on a barge along the Danube, and later transferred to another labour camp. Petkov added that his grandmother survived and later worked as a surgical nurse in Sofia.

Martin Dimitrov MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria warned of the dangers of historical ignorance: "We must remember the communist era and pass this knowledge to the younger generations to prevent a similar dictatorship in the future." He noted that educational materials on the topic are insufficient.

Valentin Tonchev, Deputy Chair of Democracy, Rights and Freedoms, highlighted the significance of the anniversary, saying: "Eighty years after one of the darkest periods in Bulgarian history, we must remember that freedom is sacred. Today, we honour those who paid the highest price for freedom and democracy." He added that at a time when there still are wars and conflicts in Europe, society must cherish and defend its freedom.

Father Petar Pokrovski said: "Eighty years ago today, the nation's elite was murdered brutally with stakes and shovels, hands tied, and left in ravines and forests. In just 40 days, 370 clergymen were executed."

By a government decision, February 1 has been officially marked since 2011 as the Day of Gratitude and Homage to the Victims of the Communist Regime, on the initiative of former Presidents Zhelyu Zhelev (1990-1997) and Petar Stoyanov (1997-2002).