 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Bulgarian. (May 2013)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| Държавна сигурност (Durzhavna Sigurnost) | |
 Honor badge of the CSS with the first logo of the agency (1963–1965) | |
 The State Security building on Cherni Vrah Boulevard in Sofia | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1925 |
| Dissolved | 1990 |
| Superseding agencies | |
| Headquarters | Sofia |
State Security (Държавна сигурност,Darzhavna sigurnost; abbreviated ДС, DS) was the name of theBulgariansecret service under thePeople's Republic of Bulgaria during theCold War, until 1989. State Security was closely allied with its Soviet counterpart, theKGB.[1]
In 1964, the State Security formed Service 7, led by Colonel Petko Kovachev, dedicated to murder, kidnapping, and disinformation against Bulgarian dissidents living abroad. The unit executed actions against dissidents in Italy, Britain, Denmark, West Germany, Turkey, France, Ethiopia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Documents describing its activities were declassified in 2010.[2]
State Security played an active part in the so-called "Revival Process" toBulgarianize theBulgarian Turks in the 1980s, as well as writer and dissidentGeorgi Markov's 1978 murder onWaterloo Bridge inLondon known for the "Bulgarian umbrella" that was used.
An issue the international community often raises is State Security's alleged control of the weapons, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gold, silver, and antiques trafficked through Bulgaria before 1989.[citation needed] It is popularly thought thatorganised crime in the country in the 1990s was set up by former State Security agents.[3]
The agency is often incriminated with the ill-famed murder of dissident writerGeorgi Markov and was formerly accused of the 1981 attempt onPope John Paul II's life. Bulgaria has always sharply criticized and denied the latter allegation. In a 2002 visit, the Pontiff cleared Bulgaria of any involvement.
The secret files of the DS have been a source of great controversy in the country. After the communist regime in the country collapsed, newly established democratic forces accused the former communist elite of secretly removing DS files that could compromise its members. In 2002, former Interior Minister Gen.Atanas Semerdzhiev was found guilty of razing 144,235 files from the DS archives. Others have accused the DS of infiltrating the young opposition.
On 5 April 2007Bulgarian parliament appointed a specialCommittee for disclosing the documents and announcing affiliation of Bulgarian citizens to the State Security and the intelligence services of the Bulgarian National Army (or ComDos). It began checking persons who once held or still hold public positions to establish any affiliation. Regular reports are delivered to the parliament and all disclosures are made public on the Committee website and in special publications.[4]