5.10.08 - 13:30 Greek-Bulgarian alliance against Macedonians


Representatives of the Macedonian political parties in Bulgaria and Greece were present at OSCE’s annual meeting dedicated to European minorities and human rights held in Warsaw, Poland.

Members of OMO Ilinden - Pirin, Macedonian party in Bulgaria issued a statement of unseen psychological torture.

- After our latest attempt to register the party, Bulgarian authorities started a systematic campaign of insulting and scaring our members. All 5,800 political members, I repeat, all 5,800 members were officially summoned by the Bulgarian police! - said representative of OMO Ilinden - Pirin at the meeting which encompassed more than 1,000 Governmental and non governmental organizations (NGO’s).

- Ladies and Gentlemen, this is psychological torture. Out of 300 political parties in Bulgaria, only our party and members are mistreated. Bulgaria is still defying an order from the Strasbourg Court to register our party - said representative from Omo Ilinden.

According to the Party, the police investigation was not to find irregularities within the party, rather to scare and threaten members to give up their membership in OMO Ilinden - Pirin.

The Macedonians in Greece were represented by their political party Vinozito, who said that Greece in line with their nationalist ideology refuse to recognize Macedonian identity and language. Greece, says Vinozito, has not ratified the Convention for protection of minorities saying it is a “useful tool for breaking up the Soviet Union and bringing down the Milosevic regime.”

“Vinozito” informs that Greece has refused to register a Macedonian Cultural Center in Lerin, which is a non profit organization.
- Almost two decades have passed, since 1989. The Berlin wall went down, but the walls of twisted views and injustices towards Macedonians in Greece still thrive - said representative of “Vinozito”.

The Macedonians in Greece have encouraged the Government to include “Macedonian” on their scheduled census for 2011. “Vinozito” informed of Greek Professor and Human Rights Activist Panayote Dimitris who is under constant pressure by the Police.

During the session, “Vinozito” presented a document recently published in Eleftherotypia of a meeting that took place between the Greek Secret Service and Editors of major Greek Newspapers who received instructions on what they need to write regarding Greece’s minorities.
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