Refworld Case Law Collection Survey
Bulgaria: Information on the current situation of Pomaks in Bulgaria
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BGR21440.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bulgaria: Information on the current situation of Pomaks in Bulgaria, 1 August 1995, BGR21440.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abb764.html [accessed 13 January 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Current information on the above-mentioned subject is limited among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
In a telephone interview on 25 July 1995, the chair of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee stated that the Pomaks are an isolated people, on which little reliable information exists. The official was of the opinion that Pomaks did not have problems regarding their basic rights, but that they did suffer economic discrimination. Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
For additional information on the Pomaks, please consult the attached documents, and pages 818, and 822-23 of Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993, and pages 766-771 of Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994, which are available at Regional Documentation Centres. For information on a political party which claims to represent the interests of the Pomaks, please consult Response to Information Request BGR21439.E of 2 August 1995, which is also available at Regional Documentation Centres.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Sofia. 25 July 1995. Telephone interview with Chair.
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP). 16 April 1993. "Les Pomaks de Bulgarie en proie à des rivalités politiques." (NEXIS)
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 17 May 1994. "New Bulgaria Party Leader Accuses MRF of Discrimination Against Pomaks." (NEXIS)
_____. 11 May 1993. "USA Asked to Help Get Pomaks Recognised as Ethnic Group." (NEXIS)
Bulgaria: A Country Study. 1993. Glenn E. Curtis. Washington, DC: Department of the Army, p. 84.
Le Monde. 21 December 1994. Hartmann Florence. "Les Turcs de Bulgarie entre l'espoir et la méfiance." (NEXIS)
Office of Asylum Affairs (OAA), Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. January 1995. Bulgaria: Profile of Asylum Claims and Country Conditions. Washington, DC: United States Department of State, pp. 1-5.
Poulton, Hugh. 1993. The Balkans: Minorities and States in Conflict. London: Minority Rights Group, pp. 111-115.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Research Institute (RFE/RL). 19 March 1993. RFE/RL Research Report [Munich]. Vol. 2, No. 12. Ivan Ilchev and Duncan M. Perry. "Bulgarian Ethnic Groups: Politics and Perceptions," pp. 35, 40-41.
Reuters. 17 June 1994. BC Cycle. Philippa Fletcher. "Bulgarians Struggle to Come to Terms with Religious Revival." (NEXIS)
Trud [Sofia, in Bulgarian]. 7 December 1994. "BSP Deputy Chairman on Minority, Ethnic Issues." (FBIS-EEU-94-239 13 Dec. 1994, pp. 1-2).
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). November 1994. Background Paper on Bulgarian Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Geneva: UNHCR, p. 12.
World Directory of Minorities. 1990. "Pomaks of Bulgaria." London: Minority Rights Group, pp. 118-19.
