“I am not waiting for money. I just want vindication and a basic apology”. Policies of “rehabilitation” of the Pomaks from Blagoevgrad region after the fall of the communist regime
“I am not waiting for money. I just want vindication and a basic apology”. Policies of “rehabilitation” of the Pomaks from Blagoevgrad region after the fall of the communist regime

Summary/Abstract: In 1991, Bulgaria adopted the Law on Civil and Political Rehabilitation of PersonsRepressed under Communism. The law came into force only in 1993 and continued until1996. The article critically analyses the law and points out its undemocratic character in rela-tion to the Pomaks, victims of the violant assimilation, the so called “revival” process. TheOrdinance to the Law puts the victims in the position of seeking proof of innocence fromthe same repressive authorities that persecuted and killed them. The approved, but mostlyrejected Decisions of the Municipal, District and Central Commissions, are analyzed andkept in the State Archive – Blagoevgrad (SAB) and Central State Archive – Sofia (CSA). Thearticle traces the tendency of the Commissions to reject applications for rehabilitation ofPomaks, affected by the worst cases of murder and imprisonment during the name change.

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