The judges’ decision is at the insistence of the prosecution, as the association has been proven to violate the Bulgarian constitution. Evaluating the content of the statute, the court found that there are preconditions for termination of the association, with the explanation that some of the goals and means formulated in its statute are contrary to the constitutional texts. The state constitution prohibits privileges based on nationality, ethnicity, origin, says the District Prosecutor’s Office in Blagoevgrad.
However, the goals stated in the statute of the association suggest the existence of ethnic groups and a call for protection of the identity and preservation of the Macedonian ethnic group, through registered means – preservation and protection of the Macedonian cause. Thus, the presented activity of the association is directed against the unity of the Bulgarian nation and the territorial integrity of our country as a basic constitutional principle. In addition, there is a suggestion of the existence of an oppressed ethnic minority in Bulgaria or another such ethnic group in need of protection other than state and institutional protection under the Constitution.
In essence, the call for defense and protection of the self-identified as Macedonians, with intended goals and means to achieve that, is directed both against the unity of the Bulgarian nation and against the territorial integrity of the country. At the same time, only political parties have their own goals and activities related to changes in the unitary character of the state, territorial integrity and unity of the nation. According to the Constitution, they cannot be used by civil society organizations. On August 21 last year, a meeting was held to establish a non-profit association – “Civil Association for the Protection of Basic Individual Human Rights.”
According to the adopted statute, its main goal is “protection of the human rights of Macedonians and other ethnic minorities in Bulgaria”. The means for achieving the set goals were also pointed out. The association based in Blagoevgrad is registered by an act of the Registration Agency. Following the intervention of the state prosecutor’s office, the court deleted the registration.
