Macedonians in Pirin Macedonia gathered on April 27, 2025 in Melnik and Rozhen for their annual commemoration in honour of Macedonian leader Jane Sandanski – murdered 110 years ago by an order of the Bulgarian government – despite an intimidation and provocation campaign by Bulgarian media and authorities.

They used threats that last year’s fierce crackdown on Macedonians would be repeated, which included attacks on freedom of expression, mass harassment by police and Bulgarian ultranationalists, surveillance and breaches of privacy, police checkpoints lining all routes leading to the commemoration amid further harassment, and threats of violence.

The concerted intimidation campaign highlighted all of last year’s incidents and focused on claims that Bulgarian ultranationalists would attend en masse, attack attendees, and that Melnik itself would be completely blocked off. Their goal was to try to intimidate Macedonians from attending this year’s commemoration.

Bulgarian authorities also denied entry to Tihomir Stojanovski, a university professor from the Republic of Macedonia, because of his advocacy for Macedonians in Bulgaria, and used this denial to limit the number of Macedonians from the Republic of Macedonia from attempting to cross the border.

A provocation tactic used by Bulgarian authorities last year was repeated – and that was to ensure that Bulgarian flags were draped across Sandanski’s grave and monument, which is highly offensive considering, as mentioned above, that Bulgaria was directly involved in the murder of Sandanski.

Further, Bulgarian authorities are using the planted Bulgarian flags to claim that Macedonians chose to "celebrate" them and have suddenly "stopped" declaring their Macedonian ethnic heritage.

Bulgaria's anti-Macedonian actions have also spread to pursuing the eradication of Macedonians in Albania and Greece and claiming them as "Bulgarian".

These tactics are part of Bulgaria’s ramped up attacks on Macedonians as it seeks to eradicate the existence of Macedonians' identity, culture, history and human rights in exchange for pledging to lift its veto of the Republic of Macedonia’s EU membership bid. The West fully supports Bulgaria’s anti-Macedonian policies and either turns a blind eye to human rights abuses or, more frequently, directly aids in their execution.

Instead of aiding, abetting, and leading such policies, the European Union, United States, and collective West could simply abide by the vast number of international human rights conventions to which they are signatories, have ratified, and that were designed to guarantee human rights, including the EU's own Charter of Fundamental Rights, namely:

TITLE III - EQUALITY, Article 21: Non-discrimination

1. Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International is proud to be one of the organizers and a supporter of all Macedonian commemorations in Pirin Macedonia. To contribute to these crucial events in support of Macedonians' freedom of expression, please visit mhrmi.org/donations or e-transfer info@mhrmi.org.

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human and national rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. MHRMI demands respect for Macedonia's name, identity and human rights for oppressed Macedonians in the Balkans. For more information: 1-416-850-7125, info@mhrmi.org, mhrmi.org, twitter.com/mhrmi, facebook.com/mhrmi, instagram.com/MacedonianHumanRights #OurNameIsMacedonia