From the political council of the Union “Blue Bulgaria“ we appeal to you with a request to take action to complete the dismantling of the monument to the Soviet Army, which began more than a year ago. This is stated in an official address of the union to Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and the Minister of Culture Naiden Todorov.
The situation is absurd, in which the actions of the executive branch for dismantling, represented by the regional governor of Sofia, are blocked by an order of the chief inspector at the “Main Directorate Inspectorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage“ in the Ministry of Culture with the argument that the dismantling was not coordinated according to Art. 14, Para. 1, Item 13, B.“c“ of the Anti-Corruption Act.
The PSA is part of the propaganda of the communist regime, which was declared a criminal regime by law. It is not a bearer of historical memory, but of a lie about historical facts in the service of a criminal ideology. The PSA was erected in praise of the Soviet Army, which is not a “Liberator“, as it says on it, but an occupier of our Fatherland. On September 5, 1944, the USSR declared war on Bulgaria, with which it had maintained diplomatic relations even during the government of Konstantin Muraviev, which had severed diplomatic relations with Germany. As a result of the Soviet occupation of Bulgaria, a criminal communist regime was imposed in our country, which pursued the Kremlin's policy of liquidating the Bulgarian national elite in order to destroy the Bulgarian national and cultural identity, which were the main obstacle to the transformation of the Bulgarian into a homo sovietkus.
In this sense, the PSA is not only not within the scope of the objects that should be protected by the Cultural Heritage Act, but is a denial of the basic definition of cultural heritage set out in Art. 2. (1) of the Cultural Heritage Act:
„Cultural heritage encompasses intangible and tangible immovable and movable heritage as a set of cultural values that are bearers of historical memory, national identity and have scientific or cultural value.“
In contradiction to this definition, the PSA is a bearer of historical lies, anti-national identity and is a propaganda symbol of an unscientific and anti-human regime.
One of the most perfidious forms of preaching the undemocratic communist ideology is the protection of propaganda monuments erected in praise of the totalitarian communist regime by declaring them cultural values. We are also deeply concerned by the fact that such actions are carried out by senior state officials.
We recall that the communist regime was declared a crime by law in 2000 and that according to para. 1 of art. 108 of the Criminal Code: “Whoever preaches a fascist or other anti-democratic ideology, or a violent change of the social and state system established by the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, shall be punished by imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to five thousand leva.“
Except in promulgations of May 5, 2000 Law on declaring the communist regime in Bulgaria criminal, there are several other documents of the European institutions and the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, in which it is unequivocally accepted that communist regimes are totalitarian and criminal:
- Resolution 1481/2006, adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;
- Document 11112/2006 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe condemning the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes;
- Resolution of the European Parliament “European Conscience and Totalitarianism” of April 2, 2009;
- Decision of the National Assembly of September 18, 2008 in support of the Prague Declaration "European Conscience and Communism". Among the recommendations of the Prague Declaration is the proposal to declare August 23 a day of tribute to the victims of the Nazi and communist regimes;
- Decision of the National Assembly of November 19, 2009, by which August 23 was designated as the Day of Remembrance for the Crimes of the National Socialist, Communist and Other Totalitarian Regimes and for Honoring Their Victims.
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Dear Mr. Minister,
You have a moral, constitutional and institutional duty to be active in the fight against attempts to rehabilitate the criminal communist regime and to restore historical truth and national dignity.
It is no coincidence that in the Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe of July 3 2009 “A New Unification of a Divided Europe“ is called:
„14. Demands that the governments and parliaments of the participating States ensure that any structure of government or model of behavior that impedes full democratization or perpetuates totalitarian rule, or presents it in an attractive form, or seeks its return, or continues its influence in the future, will be completely dismantled.“
We call on you, in accordance with your constitutional powers and obligations, to take decisive action in defense of the constitutionally established order, the laws of the Republic of Bulgaria, democracy and Bulgarian national interests.