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The initiator of the changes is the leader of DSB Atanas Atanasov Photo GEORGI KYURPANOV
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Vazrazhdane and the BSP again demanded the closure of the Dossier Commission
Belonging to the State Security, as expected, again divided the parties from the ruling coalition. This time the occasion was changes in the Law on Access and Disclosure of Documents and on declaring the affiliation of Bulgarian citizens to the State Security and the intelligence services of the Bulgarian People’s Army, which regulates the activities of the so-called Dossier Commission.
“Democratic Bulgaria” introduced texts according to which a person’s affiliation with the State Security will be announced every time a person applies for a public office, even if one has already been established. The change passed thanks to the votes of “We continue the change”, GERB and “Democratic Bulgaria”.
With the new editorial changes, the text de facto circumvents the decision of the Supreme Administrative Court, according to which the commission has no competence to re-announce the persons whose connection with the former services it has already announced. Georgi Svilenski of the BSP also tried to change the text, but with an wording that called for the commission to close. However, the text was never put to the vote. The debates in the hall lasted more than 3 hours.
Rena Stefanova from “We continue the change” announced that the law protects the right of society to know who was part of the services in any attempt to turn to power. GERB MP Radomir Cholakov also defended the position that since there is no lustration, every time someone wants to take a public office, the commission should recall the fact whether he was part of the State Security. According to him, the issue of affiliation was not resolved in time and, although belated, lustration is needed, although fewer and fewer people fall into it.
Vazrazhdane suspected that a law was being made not to close the dossier commission. Petar Petrov said that at the moment on the website of the Commission on Dossiers you can check who was connected with the State Security. He considers it a vicious practice for the Commission to commit itself to holding meetings over and over again on the same thing. Tsoncho Ganchev gave an example with the journalist and ex-MP Velizar Enchev, who was checked 17 times and each time the same information came out.
“What is the use of reopening this topic 33 years after the changes, when most of those people who were part of the services are not alive and the rest are retired? Will we ease the economy, will we help the citizens? “How many people were really scouts and how many worked for the Bulgarian army? Aren’t we insulting them and their generations? We must be much more careful when we talk about this matter,” said Borislav Gutsanov of the BSP. His ally Georgi Svilenski also called for the closure of the Dossier Commission.
The MRF, which supported the DB’s proposals at first reading, this time argued that 30% of the files had been destroyed and that even if examined, the whole truth would not be learned. Looking back on the past is counterproductive, they said. “This bill is chewing gum for naive people. In this way, we keep politicians on a leash. The main question is not what is the best, but who will determine what it is,” said Ceyhan Ibryamov.
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