site.btaBulgarians Abroad Parliamentary Committee Alerts Foreign Ministry of Repressive Activities against Ethnic Bulgarians in Albania

The parliamentary Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad has officially informed the Foreign Ministry about the alarming events that took place on July 27 in the Albanian village of Pustec, where the police detained 14 people, Bulgarian citizens and persons of Bulgarian ethnic origin, and prevented a previously agreed-on peaceful cultural gathering, the Committee announced on Tuesday. The letter sent calls for a clear institutional response, the employment of international mechanisms for the protection of human and minority rights, and concrete action to guarantee the security and cultural freedom of the Bulgarian community in the Republic of Albania.

Committee Chair Stoyan Taslakov said in a statement that what happened in Pustec is "an unacceptable violation of fundamental human rights, the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and cultural identity." The Bulgarian state cannot remain indifferent, he added.

The letter to the Foreign Ministry emphasises the need for a longer-term commitment to the Bulgarian community in Albania, including diplomatic monitoring, cultural support and legal protection.

Taslakov expressed his gratitude to the Bulgarian Embassy in Tirana for its timely intervention and assistance in securing the release of the people detained but stressed that the consequences of what happened cast a shadow over the principles of democracy and ethnic tolerance in the region, the announcement adds.