The Declaration Condemning the Attempted Forced Assimilation of Bulgarian Muslims

We, the Deputies of the 41st [Bulgarian] National Assembly

– referring to the highest achievements of European and world thought, [and to] international law in the sphere of human rights and minority rights;

– referring to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;

– expressing our deepest regret that since the beginning of the democratic changes, for 20 years, the Bulgarian justice system has failed to punish the perpetrators of the attempted forced assimilation of Bulgarian Muslims, including the so-called “Revival Process”;

– expressing our firm conviction that no statute of limitation can be applied to such crimes,

WE DECLARE THAT:

1. We condemn vociferously the assimilation policy of the [Bulgarian] totalitarian communist regime against the Muslim minority in the Republic of Bulgaria, including the so-called 'Revival Process.'

2. We declare the expulsion of more than 360,000 Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin [from Bulgaria to Turkey] in 1989 constitutes a form of ethnic cleansing committed by the [Bulgarian] totalitarian regime.

3. We call upon the Bulgarian Justice and the Attorney General of the Republic of Bulgaria that they ensure completion of the case against the perpetrators of the so-called 'Revival Process.' Efforts to terminate this case with the use of the statute of limitations means shifting the blame [for this atrocity] onto the Bulgarian people, away from the actual perpetrators.

This Declaration was adopted by the 41st National Assembly on 11 January 2012 and is stamped with the official seal of the National Assembly.