Bulgarian Turks may apply for native language rights

Bulgarian politician of Turkish descent, Tchetin Kazak, says he will apply to the European Court of Human Rights if campaigning in other languages than Bulgarian is not allowed in the country, which has ethnic minorities

Bulgarian politician, Tchetin Kazak, said on Thursday he would file a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if his country does not allow the possibility of campaigning in other languages than Bulgarian.

Kazak, who is of Turkish descent, told reporters, ‘’we would like to receive a clear answer on whether the use of mother language in the country is a right in the western democracy minds."

Kazak said his part - Movements For Rights and Freedoms - would apply to the court in Strasbourg (ECHR) if the Bulgarian justice system would not propose a solution in accordance with European standards. The party's main electorate is ethnic minorities in Bulgaria, including Turks and Bulgarian Turks.

"Native language education in schools should be implemented without any obstacles in the way and should be guaranteed" Kazak said, noting that the selection of native language education was decreasing. Parents file a petition on optional lessons in the Bulgarian national education system.

According to the International Center for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations (IMIR) data, the petition total for native language education in Bulgarian schools were around 114,000. This number dropped to around 9,000 in 2013-2014 school year.

Last month, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms Party's legislative proposal of electioneering in native language was rejected by the Bulgarian parliament. 

Source: World Bulletin