Turkey publishes history book on Bulgarian Turks

Turkey's Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YBT) has published a book about the oral history of Bulgarian Turks.

Titled "Belene Olum Icin Yer Sert Ucmak Icın Gok Uzak" (Belene Ground is Tough to Die Sky is Far to Fly), the book recounts the assimilation, disidentification policies and torture that Turkish people suffered at the hands of the communist regime in Bulgaria between 1984 and 1989, focusing on the Belene Camp.

The YBT said in a statement that the study on the community's oral history was carried out to inform future generations about the Bulgarian Turks and help their legal struggle.

It said the study, edited by historian Tufan Gunduz, mirrored the experiences of actual eyewitnesses and their struggle against ethnic cleansing. It added that the book would also be an important source for academic research.

The book was published on the 30th anniversary of their forced migration from Bulgaria to Turkey, it noted.

* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara