TRIAL OF PASTORS ENDS

Chronicle (Levin), 9 March 1949, Page 5

TRIAL OF PASTORS ENDS

(N.Z.P.A.-

-Reuter,

Life Sentence Given Four Chief Accused

Copyfltfivt)

Received Wednesday, 10 a.m. SOFIA, March 8. The four chief accused in the trial of the 15 Bulgarian Protestant pastors accused of spying were today sentenced to life imprisonment. They were: Pastor "Vassil Georgiev, Zaaptov, 48-year-old religious representative of the United Evangelical Churches in Bulgaria; Yauko Nikolo Evanov, aged 48, supreme supervisor of the Methodist church; Nikola Mihailov Naumov, aged 49, president of the Supreme Council of United Evangelical Churches and secretary of the Baptist Church Council; and Georgi Nikolov Chernev. aged 46, chief of the Adventist Evangelical council.

The court fined each of the four £835 and ordered the confiscation of their property. They were convicted of having collected and given military and economic information to foreign pefvers. The president of the Court, announcing the sentences, said that all the accused had the right of appeal to the Supreme Court of the Republic for a rehearing of the case. He declared that in every country qf the world such crimes as those committed by the accused would be punished by death, or the heaviest penalty provided by law, but that because of "the sincere confessions and general attitude of the accused during the trial, the Court had decided on lighter sentences." Pastor Ziapkov, the chief accused, stated in a loud, clear voice : "In view of the heavy crimes I have committed, I consider this a light sentence. I thank you for your mercy." He said the Court had given him a chance to rebuild his life, and he would do everything possible to make up for his crimes. The other defe'ndants received prison sentences from five to 15 years and fines ranging from £4 to £48, and in addition several were de^prived of their political and civil rights for up to 20 years.