site.btaParliament Rejects at First Reading Amendments to Political and Civil Rehabilitation of Persecuted Persons Act

The National Assembly on Wednesday rejected at the first reading a bill to amend and supplement the Political and Civil Rehabilitation of Persecuted Persons Act. The bill was voted on with 39 votes in favour, 52 against and 84 abstentions. The amendments were introduced by Dzhevdet Chakarov and a group of MPs from the MRF - Democracy, Rights and Freedoms parliamentary group.

The amendments provided that those who were subject to persecution by the communist regime would receive a pension. Currently, they receive a supplement to their pension, but only if they are eligible. Under the proposed changes, persecuted persons who are of pensionable age should be entitled to a pension, but without a service requirement.

On behalf of the petitioner, the amendments were presented by MP Sevim Ali from the MRF - Democracy, Rights and Freedoms group. His colleague, Hasan Ademov, explained that this was about people who had suffered persecution between September 9, 1944 and November 10, 1989. Therefore, when speaking about the rights of these Bulgarian citizens, it is more about moral rehabilitation and not so much about financial support, Ademov said.