Sofia University ''St. Kliment Ohridski'' closes doors on April 4 in protest against the court decision for the Botanical Garden

Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" will stop working as of Monday, April 4, to protest for an indefinite period. This decision was approved yesterday by the University's Academic Council. The protest will be staged because Sofia University lost the ownership rights on the University's Botanical Garden in the town of Balchik. Last week, the 5-member panel of the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) rejected the appeal of the University filed against the government's decision of May 2010, pursuant to which the ownership rights on the garden are transferred to the Ministry of Culture for the needs of the State Institute of Culture with the MFA being in charge of the Cultural Centre "The Palace", Balchik. Furthermore, SAC decided the higher education establishment to cover the costs of the legal proceedings amounting to BGN 3,000.

The current court decision is final and cannot be appealled. In the position of the Academic Board, it is stated that the decision of the Council of Minsiters (CM) of May last year and the neglect towards their protest was "the last of a series of strikes directed against the Sofia University". According to the University's representatives, this act will lead to new encroachments. Meanwhile, they expressed their future concerns that the building of the Alma Mater might be used for "more important governmental or business needs". The standpoint of the Academic Council further indicates that the government's decision, though formally legal, is an expression of vicious political will and has nothing to do with the national interest.

Ivan Ilchev, Rector of Sofia University, announced before the student's radio ''Reaction" that Sofia University has been trying to acquire the right to manage the property of the Botanical garden for 12 years now. "We demand the government to reconsider its decision on the ownership of the Botanical Garden which was created 55 years ago," explained Ilchev. The University's position was also supported by the MPs of three political parties including the Blue Coalition, MRF (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) and 'Ataka' party. They announced that the Botanical Garden must be owned by the University and that the government should issue a decision in favor of Sofia University.

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