MHRMC - Press Release
Macedonian Human Rights Activist Harassed Entering Bulgaria
December 30, 2003
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On November 16, 2003, Georgi Radulov, a member of the Macedonian minority political party in Bulgaria, OMO Ilinden PIRIN, was harassed by Bulgarian
police in Sofia airport when returning from Brussels, Belgium. Mr. Radulov had attended the European Free Alliance meeting in the European Parliament
on November 13-14, where he had advocated recognition and human rights for the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria.
At passport control in Sofia, Bulgarian police seized Mr. Radulov’s passport and told the other people in line to “Go to the other entrance because
we have a lot more work with this citizen”. Mr. Radulov asked why he was being held up and he asked the policeman to identify himself. The police
officer refused to answer either question. He then led Mr. Radulov to the customs area and an official named Zhivko Dulev bombarded Mr. Radulov with
questions about his whereabouts, the purpose of his visit to Brussels, and exactly what he had said. Mr. Radulov demanded to know the reason for this
interrogation and he was told that the order came from the lieutenant.
All of the documents that Mr. Radulov had from the European Parliament meeting were also seized and Mr. Radulov’s luggage was searched. Police later
returned the documents after apparently photocopying them. Mr. Radulov demanded a written declaration outlining the details of the search. He finally
received a document with the name of the presiding official, Ivan Mihailov, but a reason for the search was never given. The whole ordeal lasted about
two hours.
According to Mr. Radulov, “Bulgarian authorities try to intimidate Macedonian human rights activists – we are constantly monitored, videotaped, and
threatened if we raise the issue of recognition and human rights for the Macedonians in Bulgaria.” (For more information please see the MHRMC’s report
to the 2003 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting:
http://www.mhrmi.org/news/2003/octobar15c_e.asp
The Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada calls on the international community, and specifically the European Union, to apply pressure on
Bulgaria to immediately recognize its large Macedonian minority and grant it the human rights that it is guaranteed by all international human
rights conventions. Moreover, the MHRMC calls on the European Union to make Bulgaria's accession to the European Union explicitly conditional on
its recognition of its Macedonian minority.
Bill Nicholov, President
Macedonian Human Rights Movement International
Address: 157 Adelaide St. West, Suite 434, Toronto, Canada M5H 4E7
Tel: 416-850-7125 Fax: 416-850-7127
E-mail: info@mhrmi.org
Website: www.mhrmi.org
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