(Minghui.org) The first day of February is the Day of Recognition and Tribute to the Victims of the Communist Regime in Bulgaria and is observed every year to commemorate those who died during Bulgaria’s period of communist rule, from 1944 to 1989.
On this day, Falun Dafa practitioners held events in Plovdiv and Varna to commemorate victims of communism and also raise awareness about practitioners in China who are victims of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 25-year-long persecution. Countless practitioners in China are illegally arrested, tortured and abused for persisting in their faith. Many Bulgarians have expressed their sympathy for practitioners in China who face these atrocities and threats daily.
The Monument to the Victims of Communism in Plovdiv
Passers-by learn about Falun Dafa and sign the petition calling for the persecution in
China to end.
Practitioners held an event near the steps of Kamenitsa, a central location on the main pedestrian street in Plovdiv. They set up an information booth where practitioners handed out flyers, displayed banners, and collected signatures on two petitions to stop the persecution. Along with a petition condemning the CCP’s human rights abuses, they also had a petition related to an initiative started by Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH). The DAFOH petition calls on the Bulgarian government to ensure that the Bulgarian state, civilian entities, and citizens are not directly or indirectly involved in the CCP’s persecution of, or forced organ harvesting from, Falun Dafa practitioners in China.
Despite the cold weather, many passersby stopped to learn about the CCP’s persecution against Falun Dafa and to support the petitions with their signatures.
Support for Falun Dafa
Olga from Russia lives in Bulgaria with her two young sons. She recounted her own experiences of how the “red plague” of communism forced many people like her out of their homes and how she believes that communism brought the world to its current state of chaos.
Olga said she knows how evil communism is, and called it a “red plague.”
When she learned of the persecution against Falun Dafa and the CCP’s forced organ harvesting for profit, she was appalled. “They [the CCP] aren’t human!” she exclaimed.
Olga told practitioners she had many friends who are human rights lawyers, and that she would tell them what she learned today.
A woman and children listen to a practitioner talk about Falun Dafa and the persecution in China.
A woman, accompanied by several little girls, stopped by the booth to find out what the event was about. As she listened to the practitioner’s account of how Falun Dafa is persecuted in China and the CCP’s violence against practitioners there, she was horrified. One of the girls said, “I’ve been listening to you the whole time, and I understand that this is about [the practitioners’] human rights being violated.”
After reading the information on the banners, a woman signed the two petitions. When a practitioner asked her if she would like to know more about what is happening in China, she replied, “This information is enough for anyone who wants to look into it. Your work deserves admiration and support. I wish you success.”
Media Attention
Event in Varna to raise awareness of the persecution of Falun Dafa
That same day, practitioners in Bulgaria’s seaside capital, Varna, held a similar event. They set up their booth at the entrance to the Sea Garden, a popular attraction, where they distributed flyers and talked to locals and tourists about the CCP’s persecution of practitioners in China.
Actualno, the most read national media outlet in Varna, reported on the practitioners’ event in an extensive article about the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China, titled: “Bulgaria, China and February 1: What we have in common - a tribute to the victims of communism.”
Screenshots of the report from Actualno.com
The article recounts the beginning of the persecution in 1999 to the 2019 China Tribunal in the UK, which was presided over by international prosecutor Sir Geoffrey Nice. In 2020, the London-based China Tribunal, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, concluded unanimously and undisputedly that: “the forcible removal of organs from prisoners of conscience in China has been practiced for a significant period of time and has involved large numbers of victims.”
The article also noted that “on June 18, 2024, a historic text was adopted by a majority in Strasbourg, marking the first time the European Parliament (EP) has adopted a resolution demanding punishments for the ongoing persecution of the Falun Dafa spiritual group for more than 25 years.”
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