Massed Pleas Of Guilty In Sofia Trial

Chronicle (Levin), 26 February 1949, Page 5

Massed Pleas Of Guilty In Sofia Trial

Received Friday, 7.25 p.m. LONDON, l^eb. 25. Mass pleas of guilt and repentanee alleged to have been made by the 15 Bulgarian Prot^stant clergymen who go on trial in Sofia todav on charges of spying and plotting were shown to foreign press correspondents last night by Mr. llia Timev, Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Justice. The Associated Press Sofia correspondent says the Minister produced 2260 pages of statements and depositions which he said "were in the handwriting of defendants. The correspondent adds that the documents were filled with responses like these: "I admit my guilt," "I repeat, " "I beg elemoncy, " "I want to be given a new chance to work for the motherland. ' All foreign correspondents and Legation Press Attaches including those of Britain and the I'nited States, will have entrance tickets for the trial of the 15 Evangelical pastors which is starting tomorrow, a Bulgarian Press Department ofiicial said in Sofia today. Speaking in the Nation*,. Assembly, the Bulgarian YicP-Premier and Ali n ister of Church Affairs (Mr. Vassii Kolarov), condemned the use of the Church for furthering imperialist tendencies and efforts for world domina tion. "The people 's democracy wouJd not be a true popular authority if it di ! not en.sure liberty of couscience and of religious practice," he said, " but the use of the Church for ends which have nothing to do with the interests of the faithful niust stop." He said the State would support all religious denominations in the country which aeted wit.hiu the framework of the Constitution and collaborated loyally with the people 's democracy.