Five Strumica Students

A monument built in their honor, located in the public park across the city council.

The Five Strumica Students (Macedonian: Петте струмички студенти) refers to a group of five students on the age from 20-23, all born in Strumica that on August 13, 1951 were executed by authorities in Communist Yugoslavia.[1] In the information report of the authorities it was stated that the group was planning to illegally cross the border to Greece, but their relatives claimed that they were killed because of ideas close to IMRO, an organization that fought for the independence of Macedonia.[2][3] A large crowd flocked to the funeral of those killed, and their relatives built a large common gravestone, but after a few months the UDBA blew it up.[4] The case received international acclaim, and soon after in New Jersey, USA, and in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the pro-Bulgarian Macedonian Patriotic Organization set up its own structures called in Bulgarian: Струмишката петорка. At that time the Yugoslav authorities conducted a series of raids and executions to prevent the influence of the inherits of IMRO, this being one of them.[5]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Гоцев, Димитър, „Новата националноосвободителна борба във Вардарска Македония 1944-1991“, София, 2000 г. Retrieved 18 June 2018
2. ^ Пописаков, Аспарух, „От другата страна на медала (Геноцидът над македонските българи в Титова Югославия)“, в. "Македонска трибуна", САЩ, 1979 г. Retrieved 18 June 2018
3. ^ Shea, John, „Macedonia and Greece: the struggle to define a new Balkan nation“, McFarland, USA, стр.183 Retrieved 18 June 2018
4. ^ Църнушанов, Коста. Македонизмът и съпротивата на Македония срещу него. София, Университетско издателство „Св. Климент Охридски“, 1992. с. 328.
5. ^ Официален сайт на МПО, посетен на 19.06.2010 г. Archived 2010-03-24 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 18 June 2018

## External links[edit]

* Five Strumica Students, documentary about the group and testimonials of their families
* CIA document on the five Strumica students 1
* CIA document on the five Strumica students 2

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