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) was born on December 24, 1960. He is a Bulgarian politician with Turkish-Bulgarian roots.
He used to be the leader of a political group called the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. He led this group from January 2013 until December 2015. Mr. Mestan also served as a Member of Parliament for the area of Kardzhali.
He was later removed as party leader and asked to leave the party. This happened because his party felt he was too supportive of the Turkish government. This was especially after a Russian plane was shot down by the Turkish Air Force in 2015.
After leaving, he started a new political group called DOST. This name stands for Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance in Bulgarian. In Turkish, "dost" also means "friend." This new party supports ideas like being part of the European Union (EU) and NATO. It also believes in liberal values, which means supporting individual freedoms.
Speaking Up: A Case About Language Rights
In 2013, Mr. Mestan was campaigning for elections. 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 Turkish for about seven minutes. Because of this, the local governor, Marin Kavrakov, fined him 2,000 lv.. Bulgaria's Constitution says that election campaigns must be held in the Bulgarian language.
The governor said the fine was high because using another language during campaigns could be dangerous for the public. The mayor of Yablanovo, Dzhemal Choban, was also fined for speaking Turkish.
This event, where Mr. Mestan spoke Turkish during a campaign, was widely discussed in the news in Bulgaria.
The European Court Steps In
The case was later taken to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This court helps protect human rights across Europe. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights group, also supported Mr. Mestan.
In 2023, the court decided that Bulgaria was wrong. The country had to pay Mr. Mestan 1,200 euros as compensation. It also had to pay 3,200 euros for his legal costs.
The European Court of Human Rights explained its decision. It said that Bulgaria's election 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 native language. Also, 98% of the people in Yablanovo village speak Turkish. Some of them were not even good at speaking Bulgarian. The court noted that only Bulgaria and Ukraine have such a strict ban on using other languages during campaigns among the 37 countries in the Council of Europe.
