Bulgaria: Update to BGR17023.E of 11 April 1994 regarding the treatment of ethnic Macedonians and whether state protection is available to them, and information on whether they can live in peace and safety

This Response to Information Request is an update to Response to Information Request BGR17023.E of 11 April 1994. The information in this Response was provided by the Chairperson of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee in Sofia. The source stated that the ability of ethnic Macedonians to live in safety and peace is largely proportional to the extent that they identify themselves in public as ethnic Macedonians. The more inclined they are to do so, the less safe they are likely to be. In certain circumstances, a display of Macedonian identity may result in threats to their physical safety. Specifically, ethnic Macedonians are most vulnerable to physical assaults by the police during the annual commemorations of their heroes. Ethnic Macedonians are also vulnerable to mistreatment at the hands of the police when they congregate in public or attempt to collect signatures. On an individual basis, they may be at risk throughout the year if they insist upon expressing their Macedonian identity. Otherwise, ethnic Macedonians would not be singled out for assaults or threatened.

The Chairperson stated that the treatment of Macedonians may be influenced by their place of residence. In the small villages and towns where the non-Macedonian authorities would probably know the identity of ethnic Macedonians, they would likely be discriminated against by the local authorities. For example, ethnic Macedonians in such locales could possibly receive less than their allotted share of government funds and services. However, ethnic Macedonians in small towns and villages would probably be less likely than Macedonians in large cities to be victimized by their employers. In the main cities, ethnic Macedonians would likely be the victim of much more discrimination by their employers because their employers would probably be non-Macedonians. On the other hand, it would be easier for Macedonians to conceal their ethnic identity in the main cities.

With respect to state protection, as previously noted, Macedonians may be subject to police assaults when celebrating important events; these assaults may be tolerated or even sanctioned by government authorities, and therefore state protection is limited in such cases. Outside these circumstances, there is some state protection afforded to ethnic Macedonians. However, the authorities may turn a blind eye if the person before them is known to be a Macedonian. The treatment of ethnic Macedonians by the judicial system may depend on the attitude of individual officials. If the authorities and officials in the judicial system know that a person is an ethnic Macedonian, they might react negatively and accord the person less attention and treat them less fairly than they would non-ethnic Macedonians, thereby limiting the state protection available to them.

The DIRB is currently unable to corroborate this oral source with information from other oral sources. However, for additional information on the situation of ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria, please consult the attachments.

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. 20 February 1995. Telephone interview with Chairperson.

Attachments

Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. n.d. "Macedonians in Bulgaria." Fax received by the DIRB from UNHCR in Ottawa.

Bulgarian Lawyers for Human Rights, Sofia. 19 January 1995. Fax received by the DIRB.

Chasa [Skopje, in Bulgarian]. 6 December 1993. "Skopje TV Says Macedonian Minorities Persecuted." (FBIS-EEU-93-237 6 Dec. 1993, p. 11)

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 1994. Human Rights Watch World Report 1995. New York: Human Rights Watch, pp. 198-200.

Kontintent [Sofia, in Bulgarian]. 1 August 1994. "Ilinden OMO Barred from Commemorating Uprising." (FBIS-EEU-94-151 5 Aug. 1994, p. 6)

. 10 March 1994. "Ethnic Macedonian on Government 'Apartheid'." (FBIS-EEU-94-050 15 Mar. 1994, pp. 3-4)

Nova Makedonija [Skopje, in Macedonian]. 28 July 1994. "Commentary on 'Undemocratic' Methods in Bulgaria." (FBIS-EEU-94-146 29 July 1994, pp. 40-41)

. 28 July 1994. "Paper on Bulgarian 'Repression' of Macedonians." (FBIS-EEU-94-147 1 Aug. 1994, p. 48)

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Research Institute. 28 January 1994. RFE/RL Research Report [Munich]. Vol. 3, No. 4. Stefan Troebst. "Macedonia: Powder Keg Defused," pp. 37-38.