Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Mogilyane honours victims of assimilation campaign

Photo: BTA

The 40th anniversary of protests by Bulgarian Turks against the so-called "revival process" (a forced assimilation campaign during communism in which people of Turkish descent were ordered to change their names and adopt Bulgarian ones - ed) was commemorated with a large rally near the village of Mogilyane.

Among those present at the rally were representatives of the four main parties in Turkey, Ankara's Consul General in Plovdiv Korhan Kungeru and Mustafa Kara of the Turkish Embassy in Sofia, BTA reported. In his speech, the leader of the Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DPS) parliamentary group, Jevdet Chakurov, remembered 17-month-old Türkan, the youngest innocent victim of the name change campaign, 16-year-old Mümün from the village of Raven, 17-year-old Sezgin and many other victims of the forced assimilation campaign. 

On 26 December 1984, the authorities violently dispersed a demonstration by the people of Mogilyane. When the Bulgarian militia opened fire on the demonstrators, a stray bullet hit a 17-month-old Turkish girl, killing her. Her death provoked a strong reaction from the Turkish community. A fountain was later built in Türkan's memory.





Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Kostadin Kostadinov

Vazrazhdane says it will defend the Bulgarian Patriarchate from a Supreme Court of Cassation decision

Vazrazhdane will submit amendments to the Law on Religions, the press centre of the party has announced.   Supreme Court of Cassation rules that the Bulgarian Orthodox Old Calendar Church must be registered The amendments are going to..

published on 12/27/24 11:47 AM

Electricity has not been restored yet after the snow in some towns and villages in the country

The situation continues complicated in many towns and villages in the country because of the fallen snow . Electricity has not been restored yet in part of the municipalities Apriltsi, Teteven, Lovech, Samokov and Sofia-region . In the region..

published on 12/27/24 8:48 AM

We honour the memory of Bulgarian soldiers who died in Iraq

On 27 December 2024, it is 21 years since the truck bomb attack on the India base in Karbala , Iraq. As a result of the explosion, five soldiers of the first Bulgarian military contingent, which took part in the stabilisation and reconstruction operation,..

published on 12/27/24 8:30 AM