Evening star., 1949-03-04
Bu|garsDemand
Death forFour
Church Leaders
Prosecutor Charges
Group Tried to Stort
Revolt Against Reds
BY the Associated Press

Communist prosecutor today de-
manded the death penalty for the
top four of Is Protestant church
men who are charged with spying
and treason against Bulgaria.
In a two-hour summation, Mos
ow-trained Dimiter Georgiev ac-
cused the defendants not only of
spying but trying to promote a
revolt against Bulgaria's Commu-
mist dominated government which
he said was to have brought in
tervention by the United States
and Britain.
The prosecutor said names OF
prominent Americans and Eng
lishmen were mixed lin the spy
network OF evangelical leaders
as we'll as the names of various
American church boards and the
World Council OF Churches.
THAT Is why this trial is Slgnifi-
cant not only here but abroad" "
he declared.
Top Defendants Listed.
The four for whom the prose-
cutor demanded the death penalty
are the Rev. Vassll Georgiev Ziap-
kov. a Congregationalist the Rev.
Yanko Nikolov Ivanov, a Metho-
dist; the Rev. Nlkols Mihailov
Naumov. a Baptist. and the Rev
Georgi Nikolov Chernev OF the
Pentecost Church.
II the courts sentence should
be death, the defendants would be
hanged.
The prosecutor asserted the real
masters of the four were British
and American "imperialists' and
American church mission boards.
The Moscow trained prosecutor
asserted all the defendants had
made long public confessions in
court and that these had been
Substantiated by the testimony
offered by witnesses.
In denouncing the top four he
said with weeping and repenting
they tried TO fool the court
This was a reference to the
sobbing and crying of MI. Ziapkov
and Mr.. Naumov when they recited
their long public confessions.
Link to Hitler Charged.
He also charged the main de-
PENDANTS before the war served
for German Hitlerite Fascist intel
ligence and after the war for
American imperialism"
The prosecutor also claimed
there had been mo restraints on
the defendants" all Of whom con-
fessed publicly. He said the trial was
carried out with complete publicity
in the presence of foreigners"
He accused all four of Bulgaria S
Protestant churches of spreading
anti-Russian rumors. These, he
said, included stories about starva-
ton in Russia and 100000
people in slave labor there.
Angrily, he declared:
LAS a national representative I
have heard many rumors against
the Soviet Union. But I never
heard such nasty rumors as those
spread by the Protestant churches
and these are God serving people.
Only people who have sold their
consciences could spread such
rumors."
Quotes Shaw and Sinclair.
Attempting to paint a picture
of the Soviet Union as a leading
progressive nation, the prosecutor
quoted from the writings of
George Bernard Shaw and Ameri-
can authors Howard Fast and
Upton Sinclair
After the chief prosecutor. the
assistant prosecutor was to make
his final speech and then the ce-
fense lawyers are scheduled to
take over.
The sentencing Of the defend
ants is expected Monday or Tues
day.
Six OF the defendants also are
charged with black market cur
Iency dealings.
Spying under Bulgarian law can
carry the death penalty. Mini
mum penalty on conviction is 10
Years imprisonment.
The black market charges carry
a maximum Of Ave years in prison
and fine equivalent to $4,000.
Death Penalty Doubted.
Doubt was expressed in some
official circles that the maximum
penalties would be imposed. In