Capital punishment in Bulgaria

Europe holds the greatest concentration of abolitionist states (blue). Map current as of 2023
  Abolished for all offences
  Abolished in practice
  Retains capital punishment

Capital punishment in Bulgaria was abolished on December 12, 1998 with the last execution, that of attempted saboteur Georgi Alinski, having been carried out on November 4, 1989.[1] The Parliament of Bulgaria had introduced a moratorium on executions on July 7, 1990 and Protocol 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights came into force on October 1, 1999.

A 2016 poll found that 47% of Bulgarians were opposed to the Death Penaty, while 33% were in support.[2][3][4]

Notable executions in the 20th-century

Kingdom of Bulgaria

Executed person Gender Date of sentence Date of execution Place of execution Crime Method Ref.
Marko Fridman [bg] Male 1925 27 May 1925 Sofia Communist terrorists participating in the St Nedelya Church assault Hanging [5]
Petar Zadgorski
Georgi Koev
Georgi Mandulov [bg] 27 June 1925 Anton Conspiring to aid communist activity Firing squad [6]
Nesho Shabanov [bg]
The Gostevi brothers
Sokrat Kirshveng 1937 14 April 1937 Sofia "The Killer with the Adze"; serial killer who killed his aunt and her husband during a robbery in Sofia, but had previously been convicted of killing two wives and attempting to kill a third in 1919. The first sentence was commuted to 17 years imprisonment, and he was released in 1937. Hanging [7]
August Popov [bg] 1942 26 June 1942 Instigating communist rebellion; tried as part of the "Parachutist trial [bg]" Firing squad [8]
Trifon Georgiev
Vasil Yotov
Ivan Izatovski
Yozef Baido
Andon Bekyarov
Dimitar Dimitrov
Vasil Dodov
Stefan Pashev
Boris Tomchev
Delcho Naplatanov
Ivan Drenovski
Georgi Kratunchev
Dimitar Teplyakov
Ivan Ivanov
Georgi Bashikarov
Yanko Komitov
Todor Nikolov
Nikolai Romanov
Mirko Petkov
Simeon Slavov
Ivan Shterev
Milyo Milev
Dimo Astadzhov
Vladimir Chernov
Cvyatko Radoinov [bg] [9]
Anton Ivanov [bg] 23 July 1942 Communist revolutionaries in opposition to the Filov government [10]
Anton Popov [bg] [11]
Nikola Vaptsarov [12]
Atanas Romanov [bg] [13]
Petar Bogdanov [bg] [14]
Georgi Minchev [bg] [14]
Vasil Antevski [bg] 18 August 1942 Participation in the League of Communists of Yugoslavia Hanging [15]
Adalbert Antonov [bg] 4 December 1942 Participation in the Workers Youth League Firing squad [16]
Yovan Basarov [bg] 21 March 1943 Skopje Participation in the League of Communists of Yugoslavia Hanging [17]
Boyan Chonos [bg] 1943 13 October 1943 Vidin Aiding communist rebellion [18]
Ferdinand Aleksandrov [bg] 17 December 1943 Pleven Firing squad [19]
Yakim Atanasov [bg] 1944 1 March 1944 Lom Leading a communist partisan squadron Hanging [20]
Ferdinand Milanov [bg] 1 June 1944 Plovdiv Aiding communist rebellion Firing squad [21]
Yozo Tobiev [bg]
Yordanka Chankova [bg] Female Eleshnitsa Participating on the communist side during the "Battle of Batulia [bg]" [22]
Frank Thompson Male 10 June 1944 Litakovo [bg] [23]
Lazar Atanasov
Hristo Gurbov
Ivan Harlakov [bg] 1945 1945 Sofia Member of the Tsarist government [24]
Kiril, Prince of Preslav 1 February 1945 Member of the royal family and regent of Bulgaria [25]
Nikola Mihov Lieutenant general and regent of Bulgaria [26]
Dobri Bozhilov Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria, supposed charges of war and financial crimes [27]
Petar Gabrovski Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria and lawyer [28]
Ivan Bagrianov Member of the Tsarist government [29]
Rashko Atanasov [bg] [30]
Ivan Beshkov [bg] [31]
Ivan Vazov [bg] [32]
Dimitar Shishmanov [bg] [33]
Sirko Stanchev [bg] [34]
Aleksandar Stanishev [bg] [35]
Spas Ganev [bg] [36]
Delcho Todorov [bg]
Nikola Stoychev [bg]
Bogdan Filov 2 February 1945 Prime Minister of Bulgaria and regent of the Tsarist government [37]
Aleksandar Staliyski Collaboration with pro-Axis cabinet [38]
Yordan Sevov [bg] Member of the Tsarist government [39]
Lyuben Stanchev [bg] 6 March 1945 unknown [40]
Konstantin Lukash 15 March 1945 Sofia Officer and Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian Army [41]
Trifon Trifonov [bg] Member of the Tsarist government [42]
Nicho Georgiev [bg] 21 April 1945 [43]
Vasil Zlatevski [bg] September 1945 Kyustendil Goryanin, waging rebellion against the communist government Hanging [44]
Docho Hristov [bg] 26 October 1945 unknown Attempted rebellion against the communist government Firing squad [45]

People's Republic of Bulgaria

Executed person Gender Date of sentence Date of execution Place of execution Crime Method Ref.
Faik Aliev [bg] Male 1948 1948 Nevrokop Goryanin, waging rebellion against the communist government Hanging [46]
Pavel Djidjov 1952 3 October 1952 Sofia Catholics, subverting communist ideology Firing squad [47]
Eugene Bossilkov 11 November 1952 [48]
Josaphat Chichkov [47]
Kamen Vitchev
Ivan-Asen Georgiev [bg] 1963 4 January 1964 Espionage on behalf of the United States Shooting [49]
Radan Sarafov [bg] 18 February 1968 18 February 1969 Espionage on behalf of the United States, France and Albania [50]
Georgi Yordanov 1975 1975 Known as "Joro the Paver, the Second". Serial rapist who raped ten women in Sofia in the early 1970s, committing a double murder in the process. [51]
Zhivko Dimitrov 1981 1981 Tolbuhin Serial killer. Murdered six people in Dobrich Province from 1975 to 1981 for money. [52]
Georgi Alinski 1984 4 November 1989 Sofia Attempted to sabotage a lift in Borovets to prevent the country from participating in a ski championship [1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Дърводелец-диверсант е последният разстрелян при Тато" [Carpenter-diversant was the last one executed under Tato] (in Bulgarian). blitz.bg. November 24, 2009.
  2. ^ "Summer Issues: Sports and Death". 11 August 2016.
  3. ^ https://www.novinite.com/articles/175863/Most+Bulgarians+Oppose+Return+of+Death+Penalty+-+Poll [bare URL]
  4. ^ "Almost half of Bulgaria's citizens are against death penalty".
  5. ^ Petar Peshev (1993). Историческите събития и деятели от навечерието на Освобождението ни до днес [Historical events and figures on the eve of our Freedom to this day] (in Bulgarian). BAN.
  6. ^ В бой с фашизма 1941-1944: Документи, статии и спомени из борбата на софийските трудещи се [Battling fascism 1941-1944: Documents, articles and memories about the battle with Sofia's working class]. Bulgarian Communist Party. 1960. pp. 30–31.
  7. ^ Milena Tracheva (4 May 2018). "The creepy story of Bulgaria's first serial killer - the cruel Sokrat Kirshveng" (in Bulgarian). Fakti.bg.
  8. ^ История на антифашистката борба в България 1943-1944 [History of the anti-fascist struggle in Bulgaria 1943-1944] (in Bulgarian). Partizdat. 1976. p. 308.
  9. ^ Petar Ostoich and Maria Karavasileva (1986). Живот - борба. Книга за Цвятко Радойнов [Life - fight. Book about Cvyatko Radoinov] (in Bulgarian). Partizdat.
  10. ^ История на антифашистката борба в България 1943-1944 [History of the anti-fascist struggle in Bulgaria 1943-1944] (in Bulgarian). Partizdat. 1976. p. 224.
  11. ^ История на антифашистката борба в България 1943-1944 [History of the anti-fascist struggle in Bulgaria 1943-1944] (in Bulgarian). Partizdat. 1976. p. 225.
  12. ^ "Годишнина от разстрела на Никола Вапцаров" [Anniversary of the execution of Nikola Vaptsarov] (in Bulgarian). bg-history. July 23, 2009. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014 – via The Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ История на антифашистката борба в България 1943-1944 [History of the anti-fascist struggle in Bulgaria 1943-1944] (in Bulgarian). Partizdat. 1976. pp. 224–227.
  14. ^ a b История на антифашистката борба в България 1943-1944 [History of the anti-fascist struggle in Bulgaria 1943-1944] (in Bulgarian). Partizdat. 1976. p. 225.
  15. ^ Blaže Ristovski (2009). Makedonska enciklopedija [Macedonian Encyclopedia] (in Macedonian). Makedonska Akademija na Naukite i Umetnostite. p. 64. ISBN 9786082030234.
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  17. ^ Blaže Ristovski (2009). Makedonska enciklopedija [Macedonian Encyclopedia] (in Macedonian). Makedonska Akademija na Naukite i Umetnostite. p. 230. ISBN 9786082030234.
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  21. ^ Bozhidar Dimitrov (1989). Миналото на град Раковски [The history of Rakovski city] (in Bulgarian). Sofia Press.
  22. ^ Кратка българска енциклопедия в пет тома. Том 5: Строи-Яя [Short bulgarian encyclopedia in five tomes. Tome 5] (in Bulgarian). BAN. 1969.
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  24. ^ "Трагедията на Велики четвъртък: Атентатът в катедралата "Свети Крал" на 16 април 1925 г." [The tragedy on Maundy Thursday: The attack on the "St. Kral" cathedral on 16 April 1925] (in Bulgarian). DnesPlus. April 16, 2011. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012.
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  27. ^ Daniel Vachkov (2009). Пътят на комунистическата партия към властта (1939 – 1944) [The path of the communist party to power (1939 – 1944)] (in Bulgarian). Siela. p. 96. ISBN 978-954-28-0588-5.
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  29. ^ "В деня за почит към жертвите на комунизма: "И никакви съображения за хуманност"". February 2014.
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  47. ^ a b "Блажени отци-успенци Йосафат Шишков, Павел Джиджов и Камен Вичев" [Blessed Fathers of the Assumption Josaphat Shishkov, Pavel Djidjov and Kamen Vitchev] (in Bulgarian). Catholicnews.bg.
  48. ^ Hogland, V:"A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P." Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine,
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