BELENE, BULGARIA - MAY 31, 2025: Bulgaria’s former Belene concentration camp, once a symbol of political repression, is set to be transformed into a memorial museum honoring the victims of the communist-era regime. Considered Europe’s last concentration camp, the site held political prisoners between 1949 and 1987 under the former communist regime. More than 20,000 individuals were detained at Belene, many without formal charges. Hundreds reportedly died in captivity. The camp also played a role in the 1984–1989 forced assimilation campaign targeting ethnic Turks and Muslims, during which more than 550 people were imprisoned without trial. Survivors and families of victims gathered at the camp located on an island in the Danube River near the Romanian border. During the gathering in late May, Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev unveiled a memorial plaque and announced that the government has initiated steps to designate the site as a protected cultural heritage. Civil society groups, including the Memory 1945–1989 Foundation, have welcomed the museum initiative as a way to preserve historical memory. Belene is expected to receive national cultural monument status as part of wider efforts to confront and acknowledge abuses committed during Bulgaria's communist era. Reporting by Ihvan Radoykov / Writing by Aleyna Cil