Turkan Feyzullah and other victims of Bulgaria’s Revival Process commemorated
A commemoration ceremony was held in the Bulgarian village of Mogilyane to honor 18-month-old Turkan Feyzullah and other victims of the communist-era “Revival Process,” a forced assimilation campaign targeting the Turkish minority in the 1980s.
The ceremony took place at the Turkan Fountain memorial, where participants paid tribute to Feyzullah, who was killed during protests against the campaign in 1984. The policy, implemented between 1984 and 1989, sought to suppress ethnic Turkish identity by imposing Slavic names and restricting cultural expression, sparking widespread unrest.
The event was attended by Turkish and Bulgarian officials, diplomats, religious leaders, civil society representatives and local residents. A message from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, read during the ceremony, described Feyzullah as a symbol of resistance against oppression and reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to supporting the rights and welfare of kin communities abroad.
Speakers emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of the victims and maintaining unity among Bulgaria’s Turkish and Muslim communities. The ceremony concluded with prayers and poems dedicated to those who lost their lives during the period.
