Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC)

[AMHRC]

OMO "ILINDEN" PIRIN, AMHRC AND MHRMI Condemn Bulgarian Census "Results"

OMO "ILINDEN" PIRIN, AMHRC AND MHRMI Condemn Bulgarian Census "Results"


Blagoevgrad, Melbourne, and Toronto - 25 July 2011


OMO “Ilinden” PIRIN, the political party of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria, the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) and Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) confirm that after an abnormally long delay, the results of the Census in Bulgaria, held in February 2011, have at last been announced. Due to the absurdly large number of manipulations which were carried out during the period in which it was held, the Census results were declared as invalid by OMO “Ilinden” PIRIN and other Macedonian organizations in Bulgaria as early as April this year.

This time the Bulgarian state has decided to allocate barely 1,654 people to the Macedonian minority, the existence of which, it totally denies. The results of this quasi Census have only confirmed what we expected - a criminal falsification has been carried out. However, in its desire to reduce to the maximum the number of those belonging to the Macedonian minority, the state has gone too far and the manipulation carried out by it is obvious to all. During the course of the census, Bulgarian officials systematically refused to accurately record the answers of individuals who declared themselves to be Macedonian.

Following the release of the census results, OMO “Ilinden” PIRIN, the AMHRC and MHRMI have agreed to inform international human rights bodies in the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the EU of this scandalous act on the part of the Bulgarian state. The incident will be of particular interest to the United Nations Independent Expert on Minority Issues, Ms Gay McDougall who visited Bulgaria earlier this month and is currently preparing a report to present to the UN Human Rights Council at the end of the year.

OMO “Ilinden” PIRIN, the AMHRC and MHRMI also urge Macedonians (and indeed human rights defenders in general) to take action on this matter by directly contacting foreign ministries in their respective countries of residence and bringing the census scandal to their attention. In particular Macedonians in the United States are urged to write to US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton who just months ago, on 3 March 2011, claimed that: “Bulgaria has led by example at home, striving to create strong institutions, enforce the rule of law and uphold democratic transitions. Your progress in building a vibrant democracy as a responsible member of the transatlantic community over the past two decades has given hope to so many countries in your region and around the world.”

The stark contrast between Secretary Clinton’s official praise for Bulgaria and the actuality of the situation on the ground is exemplified by the huge discrepancy between the ‘official’ number of Macedonians in Bulgaria (1,654) and the reality in Pirin Macedonia and beyond.

###

OMO "Ilinden" PIRIN is a political party supporting the rights of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria. It has been banned since 2000, despite a 2005 European Court of Human Rights Judgement ruling that the decision was a violation of the Euroepan Convention on Human Rights. For more information please visit www.omoilindenpirin.org .

Established in 1984 the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) is a non governmental organisation that advocates before governments, international institutions and broader communities about combating discrimination and promoting basic human rights. Our aspiration is to ensure that Macedonian communities and other excluded groups throughout the world are recognised, respected and afforded equitable treatment. For more information please visit www.macedonianhr.org.au , or contact AMHRC by email [email protected] or via +61 3 93298960.

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human and national rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. For more information: www.mhrmi.org , twitter.com/mhrmi , Facebook , [email protected] , 416-850-7125.

[Pelister]

Good work AMHRC and MHRMI.

I wonder, what would be the chances of UMD sending a letter to Hilary Clinton informing her that her assesment of the Bulgarian State is fundamentally wrong?

[makedonche]

AMHRC
Well done, another well worded statement!
Interesting comments from Hillary Clinton - disgraceful lack of understanding about the facts actually on the ground!

[Soldier of Macedon]

In particular Macedonians in the United States are urged to write to US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton who just months ago, on 3 March 2011, claimed that: “Bulgaria has led by example at home, striving to create strong institutions, enforce the rule of law and uphold democratic transitions. Your progress in building a vibrant democracy as a responsible member of the transatlantic community over the past two decades has given hope to so many countries in your region and around the world.”

Good suggestion. And great summary of the situation.

[Soldier of Macedon]

I just had a good read of this issue last night, once again, well done, well worth it.

[Phoenix]

Great work AMHRC, great variety of interesting articles.

I would never have known that Anton Blajer was Macedonian, looking at the name I thought it was some Dutch dude, like another famous 'Anton', the Dutch photographer and director Anton Corbijn.

Well done AMHRC, its the uncovering of these little gems that makes your Reviews so interesting.

Keep up the excellent work.

[Pelister]

George,

I had the pleasure of reading your editorial introduction in the latest issue. It said so much about the kinds of forces working against the Macedonians, and brought to light how important it is to resist the erasure of our ethnic identity.

British policy between 1919 and 1944 called for nothing less than the complete extermination of the Macedonians. It even issued directives to Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia to "deny the Macedonians" and encouraged them to "eradicate this balkan cancer".

Britain had the task of setting up the League of Nations and making it a viable institution. British policy regarding the Macedonians, became League of Nations policy. I don't think many people understand the significance of the League in the conquest of Macedonian territory, turning the legal fiction of the right to Macedonian territory, into some form of legitimate position (through the Treaty system), and its efforts in colonising Macedonian territory, knowingly publishing false data ...etc, the list goes on. The Macedonians, who were without a doubt one of the most ruthlessly suppressed nations, in Europe between 1919 and 1944, wrote hundreds of letters, petitions, grievances - ever wondered why not one of them was ever considered by the League Council? Or why discussions about such records, and deliberations about such records remain unrecorded, and unpublished, even though the League had an obligation to publish them?

My point is to highlight to you that the League was an institution that was big on rhetoric about 'human rights' and the legal protection of people; but in practice, it was a foreign policy tool of Britain, and the Allied Powers.

It offered the Macedonian no legal protection, in spite of its Charter. I think that we need to dash all idealism we find among some Macedonians about these Western institutions, because they had a DIRECT hand to play in the conquest of Macedonian territory, and the extermination of our rich civilisation.

Viktor Friedman observed the kinds of forces at a local level and an international level, operating to erase the Macedonians from the records, from political representations. During his research he discovered that "there are powerful forces operating against the Macedonians. We almost never hear from the Macedonians themselves, and when we do it is normally garbled and distorted".

The part of your editorial that I considered more than any other part:

The 'Western world' possesses various institutions that legally protect the existential rights of all ethnicities; yet in the case of Macedonians and numerous other groups, these institutions often exhibit a tendency to 'forget' their own rules and from this perspective, we in the AMHRC feel that our activity gains a significance beyond justice for Macedonians...

I found your editorial inspirational.

I think we need a thread about the legal aspects of the conquest of Macedonian territory, and the extermination of our people and culture.

p.

[George S.]

well done guys,a pleasure to read it.

[AMHRC]

Great job, guys!

I just had a good read of this issue last night, once again, well done, well worth it.

Great work AMHRC, great variety of interesting articles.

I would never have known that Anton Blajer was Macedonian, looking at the name I thought it was some Dutch dude, like another famous 'Anton', the Dutch photographer and director Anton Corbijn.

Well done AMHRC, its the uncovering of these little gems that makes your Reviews so interesting.

Keep up the excellent work.

George,

I had the pleasure of reading your editorial introduction in the latest issue. It said so much about the kinds of forces working against the Macedonians, and brought to light how important it is to resist the erasure of our ethnic identity.

British policy between 1919 and 1944 called for nothing less than the complete extermination of the Macedonians. It even issued directives to Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia to "deny the Macedonians" and encouraged them to "eradicate this balkan cancer".

Britain had the task of setting up the League of Nations and making it a viable institution. British policy regarding the Macedonians, became League of Nations policy. I don't think many people understand the significance of the League in the conquest of Macedonian territory, turning the legal fiction of the right to Macedonian territory, into some form of legitimate position (through the Treaty system), and its efforts in colonising Macedonian territory, knowingly publishing false data ...etc, the list goes on. The Macedonians, who were without a doubt one of the most ruthlessly suppressed nations, in Europe between 1919 and 1944, wrote hundreds of letters, petitions, grievances - ever wondered why not one of them was ever considered by the League Council? Or why discussions about such records, and deliberations about such records remain unrecorded, and unpublished, even though the League had an obligation to publish them?

My point is to highlight to you that the League was an institution that was big on rhetoric about 'human rights' and the legal protection of people; but in practice, it was a foreign policy tool of Britain, and the Allied Powers.

It offered the Macedonian no legal protection, in spite of its Charter. I think that we need to dash all idealism we find among some Macedonians about these Western institutions, because they had a DIRECT hand to play in the conquest of Macedonian territory, and the extermination of our rich civilisation.

Viktor Friedman observed the kinds of forces at a local level and an international level, operating to erase the Macedonians from the records, from political representations. During his research he discovered that "there are powerful forces operating against the Macedonians. We almost never hear from the Macedonians themselves, and when we do it is normally garbled and distorted".

The part of your editorial that I considered more than any other part:



I found your editorial inspirational.

I think we need a thread about the legal aspects of the conquest of Macedonian territory, and the extermination of our people and culture.

p.

well done guys,a pleasure to read it.

Thanks everyone, it is very encouraging to know that our efforts are meaningful. Pelister, I agree that it would be worthwhile to develop a thread with all the violations etc.

Pozdrav.

[lavce pelagonski]

Great work also great to see this article in the Herald Sun

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/racism-claim-over-macedonian-identity/story-e6frf7jo-1226102288192

Macedonian group cry foul over 'Slav' tag

AN ethnic group has accused the state and federal governments of racism for changing its identity.

A Macedonian community organisation has told a state parliamentary inquiry moves to rename the group and its language as Slav Macedonian had resulted "in immeasurable damage to the community".

There is a bitter dispute over ownership of the name Macedonia.

Greece argues that Macedonia is Greek and objects to the name being used by the Republic of Macedonia.

Macedonia was admitted to the United Nations in 1993, but is known as The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee has told the inquiry into Victoria's human rights charter Macedonians had suffered from state and federal orders to change the community's name.

The "Slav" prefix was seen as racist by the community, it said.

"Everyone is treated equally, my number one priority is peace and harmony," he said.

[Mikail]

Neos Kosmos have written about the arrival of the Group. They are distinguished by being called "slavo-Makethones from Ellada" as opposed to those other Macedonians who come from FYROM

They are particularly concerned by the presence of Panayot Dimitras in this visit.

Not much gets by the Greeks.

[makedonche]

Neos Kosmos have written about the arrival of the Group. They are distinguished by being called "slavo-Makethones from Ellada" as opposed to those other Macedonians who come from FYROM

They are particularly concerned by the presence of Panayot Dimitras in this visit.

Not much gets by the Greeks.

Mik
Well spotted, if they only paid as much attention to their finances they may have been better off!

[George S.]

they would be welcomed more by the macedonians.

[Stojacanec]

They are particularly concerned by the presence of Panayot Dimitras in this visit.

Mikail, why would they be concerned by his presence?

[Mikail]

Who know Stojacanec? He is someone with alot of connections. He is given specific mention in the Greek article.

My mum brought this to my attention.

Macedonians in Greece are referred to as "Slavo-Makethones", Macedonia is FYOM and its citizens are something else.

They are now trying to differentiate these Macedonians and those Macedonians.

The Grecos know they're losing the battle and are now attempting to sit on the fence and create a new "us and them" scenario.

Keep up the good work AMHC and bring out these activists on a regular basis.

Heaven forbid that, for example, the Naoussa (Negush) region group of Victoria see there is nothing to fear any more and turn pro Macedonian. This is the fear the Greek community has.