This event is online only.
Join us for an in-depth online discussion hosted by the Harriman Institute, where we explore one of the most underrepresented yet crucial aspects of Eastern European history – Bulgaria’s communist-era resistance. While many are familiar with the broader Soviet story, the oppressive regime in Bulgaria, its gulags, and the quiet but determined resistance to it remain lesser-known. Louisa Slavkova of Sofia Platform will discuss this topic in conversation with Valentina Izmirlieva.
Bulgaria’s Gulags
Under a Soviet-aligned communist dictatorship from 1944 to 1989, Bulgaria is often viewed as one of the Soviet Union’s staunchest allies. In reality, the country was a stronghold of forced conformity, with limited true support for communist ideology. To ensure loyalty, the regime established around 80 detention facilities, many euphemistically referred to as “labor and education centers.”
In these gulags, individuals were detained without trial for offenses as simple as practicing religion, resisting land collectivization, or even listening to Western music. The Belene camp, notorious for its harsh conditions, stood out for its longevity, operating until two years before the fall of communism in 1989. The scars of this dark period run deep, with nearly 60,000 people passing through the Bulgarian gulags and many more affected indirectly—families, friends, and communities left to carry the burden of this history.
A Lesson for the World
While resistance movements in Eastern Europe are well-documented, Bulgaria’s story of resistance remains largely untold—both internationally and at home. Thirty-five years after the fall of communism, Bulgaria still struggles to confront its past, and this neglect has allowed distorted historical narratives to take root, further complicated by ongoing disinformation campaigns, despite Bulgaria’s NATO and EU memberships.
This discussion will spotlight the work of Sofia Platform, an organization dedicated to preserving these forgotten stories. Over the past decade, it has empowered educators to teach Bulgaria’s communist history, developed teaching materials, and organized youth engagement programs. One of its most significant initiatives has been recording over 180 hours of testimonies from survivors of the Belene camp, now accessible through the digital archive www.belene.camp. This interactive repository allows users to engage directly with survivor testimonies through AI, preserving a crucial chapter of history in the face of fading memory and scarce physical memorials.
*The discussion shares its name with an exhibition that was on display in Washington, DC, this past June.
