On February 1, Bulgaria commemorates the victims of the communist regime, marking the anniversary of the mass executions carried out in 1945 by the so-called People's Court. Established under Soviet influence, this tribunal served as an instrument of political repression, targeting the country's military, political, and intellectual elite. The first executions on this day claimed the lives of 147 people, including three former prime ministers, 67 members of parliament, and numerous ministers, military officers, magistrates, and journalists.

The People's Court, operating between December 1944 and April 1945, handed down 9,155 sentences after arresting 28,630 individuals. Among these, 2,730 were death sentences, while 1,305 resulted in life imprisonment. The trials were marked by a lack of legal protections, with predetermined verdicts dictated by Soviet authorities. Many of the accused disappeared without a trace even before their sentences were officially pronounced. The trials also saw prominent figures convicted, including Dimitar Peshev, who had played a key role in preventing the deportation of Bulgarian Jews during World War II. He was accused of "fascist activity and anti-Semitism" and was only released following intervention from the Jewish community.

The communist repressions extended beyond the courtroom. In the months following the coup of September 9, 1944—when Soviet forces occupied Bulgaria—thousands were executed, and tens of thousands were deported. Political opponents, military officials, intellectuals, and anyone perceived as a threat to the consolidation of communist rule were systematically purged. The regime resorted to various means of oppression, including imprisonment in forced labor camps, psychological and physical torture, and forced political indoctrination. Many were placed in psychiatric institutions as a method of silencing dissent.

The People's Court was established in direct violation of the Tarnovo Constitution, which did not allow for extraordinary tribunals. However, its actions were orchestrated under the directive of Soviet citizen and communist leader Georgi Dimitrov. The scale of the repressions was unprecedented in Europe, with entire Bulgarian governments convicted and executed—a phenomenon not seen elsewhere on the continent. Former prime ministers Bogdan Filov, Ivan Bagryanov, and Dobri Bozhilov were among those sentenced to death and executed in front of a bomb crater near the Central Cemetery. The condemned were denied any last moments with their families, and their relatives were stripped of the right to mourn or even bury their loved ones.

In 2000, Bulgaria officially recognized the communist regime as criminal through a special law that held the Bulgarian Communist Party responsible for the political, economic, and social devastation of the country between 1944 and 1989. The law also outlined crimes committed against the Bulgarian people, including extrajudicial executions, suppression of civil liberties, expropriation of property, restrictions on education and employment, and travel bans. Citizens were denied the right to express dissent, and the regime systematically dismantled democratic institutions.

The remembrance of February 1 was formally established in 2011 by the Bulgarian government at the proposal of former presidents Zhelyu Zhelev and Petar Stoyanov. It serves as a solemn acknowledgment of the human cost of communist rule and a reminder of the systematic efforts to erase entire generations of Bulgaria’s leadership and intellectual elite.

We will not forget

We will not forgive