MINELRES: Bulgaria: Romani Baht Foundation's statement on policy concerning minorities

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Original sender: Romani Baht Foundation <baht2000@rtsonline.net>


Romani Baht Foundation�s statement before the Bulgarian media regarding
the policy concerning minorities.

Romani Baht Foundation addresses the president of the Republic regarding
the possibility for the National Union Political Formation to receive
the third mandate to form a Government.

At the beginning of August 2005 the National Union Political Formation
(leaded by Mr. Karakachanov, Mr. Sofianski and Ms. Mozer) promoted the
idea for forming of a National Guard to defend the Bulgarian society
from the natural disasters and minorities� criminal activities. The same
proposal has been brought before the Bulgarian media last summer by the
leader of the professional union Podkrepa Konstantin Trenchev. At that
time it was rather a media sparkler than a serious policy proposal. The
Bulgarian court has been addressed regarding the lawfulness of such
declarations and stated that it amounts to incitement to discrimination
and harassment on ethnic base. At the present moment however this
proposal aims not only media effect but also political dividends. It is
also done in a very ugly way � blaming for the problems in Bulgaria the
most marginalized and tortured ethnic group in Bulgaria � the Roma. The
idea is formed as draft-law and is gaining political support.  The
supporters of the idea do not estimate the risks to create a repressive
tool, which will be difficult to be controlled. Romani Baht addressed
the media with a special statement regarding the proposal where it has
been stated that the political priorities are substituted with �minority
problems� by certain political formations, which gain votes playing with
the �national cause� � two words so dear for the �tolerant� Bulgarian
society.  These are formations represented within the Bulgarian
Parliament � ATAKA, leaded by Volen Siderov and the political movement
leaded by Mr. Karakachanov as a part of the National Union. The
statement underlines that this is a risk for the ethnical balance in
Bulgaria. Romani Baht has also officially addressed the resident in a
joint letter with the Human Rights Project. The address asked the
President to restrain from giving the political mandate for forming a
Government to political party, which is not ready to preserve the
equality of rights of all Bulgarian citizens. The address was officially
delivered to the President administration on August 10th 2005.

Romani Baht
Team

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