Lyutvi Mestan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lyutvi Mestan
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| Leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms | |
| In office 19 January 2013 – 24 December 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Ahmed Dogan |
| Succeeded by | Mustafa Karadayi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 24, 1960 Chorbadzhiysko, Bulgaria |
| Political party | Bulgarian Communist Party (before 1990) Union of Democratic Forces (2016–present) |
Lyutvi Ahmed Mestan (Bulgarian: Лютви Ахмед Местан, Turkish: Lütfi Ahmet Mestan) is a politician from Bulgaria. He was born on December 24, 1960. Mr. Mestan is of Turkish-Bulgarian background. He served as the leader of a political group called the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. This was from January 2013 until December 2015. He has also been a Member of Parliament for the area of Kardzhali.
Mr. Mestan was later removed from his role as party leader. He was also asked to leave the party. This happened because the party felt he was too supportive of the Turkish government. This decision came after a Russian plane was shot down by the Turkish Air Force in 2015. After leaving, he started a new political group. It is called DOST, which stands for Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance in Bulgarian. DOST also means friend in Turkish. This new party supports ideas like being part of the European Union and NATO. It also believes in liberal values.
Contents
Speaking Up: The Language Case
In 2013, Mr. Mestan was involved in election campaigns across Bulgaria. He visited a village called Yablanovo in Sliven Province. Most people there are of Turkish origin and speak Turkish. During his speech, Mr. Mestan spoke in Turkish for about seven minutes.
The Fine and the Law
Because he spoke Turkish, the regional governor of Sliven, Marin Kavrakov, fined Mr. Mestan 2,000 lv.. The rules in Bulgaria's Constitution say that election campaigns must be held in the Bulgarian language. The governor said the fine was high because using a language other than Bulgarian during campaigns could be dangerous for the public. The mayor of Yablanovo village, Dzhemal Choban, was also fined for speaking Turkish during the campaign. He was fined 3,000 lv. This topic of speaking Turkish during elections was widely discussed in the Bulgarian news.
Taking the Case to Europe
Soon after, the case was taken to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, a group that helps protect human rights, also supported Mr. Mestan. In 2023, the court decided that Bulgaria was at fault. Bulgaria had to pay 1,200 euros to Mr. Mestan as payment. It also had to pay 3,200 euros for the costs of the case.
The Court's Decision
The European Court of Human Rights stated that Bulgaria's election rules were not fair. They said the rules broke the right to freedom of expression. This was because they completely banned the use of any language other than Bulgarian. The court also pointed out that Turkish is Mr. Mestan's first language. Also, 98% of the people in Yablanovo village speak Turkish. Some of them were not very good at speaking Bulgarian. The court noted that only Bulgaria and Ukraine have such a ban on using other languages during elections among the 37 members of the Council of Europe.
