Mr Dimi Panitza has passed away
John-Dimitry Evstatiev Panitza, founder in 2001 of the Bulgarian School of Politics now named after him, passed away on 28 July 2011.
Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1930, Mr Panitza acquired during his 60-years long exile, not only admired journalistic and political skills, but also a strong conviction in the democratic potential of his country that he strove to realise through his Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation that promotes political pluralism and civil liberties. The importance the founder of the American University in Bulgaria attached to the education of youth naturally led him to extend the network of the Schools of Political Studies to his native country.
His life-long engagement for democratic values and his excellence in journalism were notably awarded the highest Bulgarian civil distinction, the Stara Planina, a ‘Pro Merito’ medal from the Council of Europe and a title of Chevalier of the French Légion d’honneur.
The countless projects that survive him – in support of unemployed youth, of quality journalism and of the exercise of human rights – attest his optimism and the impulse he gave to the democratisation of Bulgaria.
