BELENE CONCENTRATION CAMP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A007000810003-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 29, 2008
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: June 9, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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. CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United Sates within the meaning of the Espionage Laws. This
18, U.B.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorised person is prohibited by law.
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
Bulgaria
Belens Concentration Camp
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 9 Jmge 1955
NO. OF PAGES 4
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE. 25X1
1. After World War II, *mong those sent to Helene and put to forced labor were
a special group of political prisoners. These were persons who had been
arrested for so-called political crimes concerning which the authorities did
not have enough evidence to send then to trial and condemn them, were sent
to Belene and held there for an unspecified time In 1953 the regime
decided to release these persons and replace then with regularly tried
political prisoners. This release started in August 1953 and was completed
by November of the seen year. Already in 1952 there were
approximately 1#500 regularly oondeoned political prisoners, but these were
kept in a separate notion from that of the political inmates who were
known as "Lagerists."
2. Following World War II those citisens who were hold to be reactionaries
because of their political past, were arrested. Thus personalities of the
old regime, large landowners, intelleotoals, industrialists, and business-
men were considered eni ids of the people. Among the businesemen, all
those who dealt with foreign firms, even though their dealings were sewn,
were included in the category of envies of the people.
3e
4. The interrogations were generally carried out at night. The interrogators
were changed every six hours, while the person being questioned was
awake by various means, without food or drink.
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5. In Persin Island at Belene, housing as such was never constructed fW the
inmates, When they arrived, they were forced to dig for themselves a
shelter in the ground. These were holes 12-14 r 5 meters in use. The
cover was made haphazardly with tree trunks, branches, and reeds all
joined together with earth. There were no bedding facilities. inmates
built their own beds of boards covered with small branches and straw. When
it rained heavily, water cane in from all sides. As many as 100 persons,
housed in one of these shelters. After a long day of work they were forced
to fight each other for a bit of space, limited to 40 centimeters per person.
6. The men were employed in the cultivation of hemp on the island. Originally,
the island was abandoned. The first inmates, were
employed at clearing the area of trees which was later cultivated to heiop,
for the most part, and also to corn and barley. The cultivated area of the
island covers a total of 72,000 square decameters. The inmates were
employed at planting and harvesting hemp, corn, and barley and also at
o]eaning the hemp. Those working with the hemp had to out (starting at the
September harvest) 750 square meters of hemp per day. Of each group of
three men, one was employed at tying together the barndles of hemp, and the
other two were also held responsible for cutting his 750 square mutters. If
this norm was not achieved, the bread ration was reduced by 1/4, 3 or I/2.
In the island the hemp was beaten by bead in order to separate th. grains.
It was then sent to Beleno* All transportation on the island was done by
means of wheelbarrows. Only ploughing was done by means of agricultural
tractors.
7. In 1950 the irenates were forced to evacuate the island bedause it was
flooded by the Danube. The men were transferred to the Bolen* plain, which
was far less cultivated and far larger than the area of Persin Island, and
were put to work excavating canals for irrigation and land reolamation.
Persin Island was evacuated from February to September 1950.
8. The men at Belene were allowed the following rationst
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a. 540 grams of bread per day (a 1,080 gram loaf for every two imsn)I
b, A bowl of soup at noon and at night made with greens, beans, potatoes,
and barley;
o. A cup of tea in the morning;
d, A little meat mixed with the soup once or twice a week, and often may
once a month; and
e. Very rarely, 30 grams of cheese.
With regard to clothing, the inmates were worse off than the gypsies. They
wore old military uniforms no longer in use; their coats were torn, with
holes, and threadbare, They wore rubber shoes. The main trial for the men
was the lack of a change pf clothing' all were dirty, muddy, and when it
rained their clothes were soaked with water.
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10. The inmates were divided into three categories: I II and III.
those in
I Category were considered to be the most dangerous. Those in the I
Category were allowed to receive one package and one letter every four
months; those in II Category were allowed one package and one letter every
three months; and those in III Category were allowed one package and one
letter every tiro months.
11. The inmates received a pay equal to 15% that of the ordinary union wages.
12. The average number of imnates at Belene at one time was about 3,000. In
the name area, in a nearby island, there were 150 women confined.
13. Barbed wire was drawn along the limits of the island and through the
area where the inmates were confined. Around and in the interior of the
island there were sentry posts where guards were on duty. Sentry duty was
carried out by a unit of the Peoples Militia, commanded by Major Aashko
1.4,
The release of the inmates an stated above started in August 1953 and was
completed in November 1953. The release was carried out in groups of
150-200-300 at a time, The 150 women were also released. Prior to leaving
the camp each one was told that, although guilty, the regime had adopted
a clemency measure provided that they maintained at "patriotic" attitude
in the future. The last remaining men (about 150) were interrogated once
again for over a month, by the Dlfirehavna Sigurnost and then finally
released. The inmates were replaced by 3,000.4,000 regularly tried
political prisoners. Of these About 1,500 had already been transferred to
the island since 1952 and Inept apart from the other inmsates. The political
prisoners are condemned to terms at hard labor varying between five and 15
years. The majority of the men were accused of the followings
a. Clandestine attempt to escape from Bulgaria;
be Plailure to denounce friends who planned on escaping from Bulgaria,
concerning whose plans the person was cognisant;
c. Sabotage; and
d. Espionage.
The prisoners were transferred from various prisons where they had been
held previously.
15. the following personalities who had been
the camp, imprisoned at
a, General VVlkov;
b. Lieutenant Colonel Porkov;
o. Major Dikov;
d, Former Minister of Finance Stoyanov,-released;
e. Former minister Panhkov one time director of the Bank of Credit of
Bulgaria;
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f. Dimitlir Savor, former president of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commneroe,
who died in the prison in 1952;
g. Dimitnr Valev, from Stara Zagora, former minister in 194, released;
and
h. Former minister Gerginov, who died in Damp.
The men listed under a.b. and o. were tried in Sofia in 1953 and oondsmnsd
to varying prison terms.
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