Bulgaria: Updates to BGR8044 and BGR2827 (Treatment of ethnic Turks)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BGR11163 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bulgaria: Updates to BGR8044 and BGR2827 (Treatment of ethnic Turks), 1 June 1992, BGR11163, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad0b1f.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
There is little information on the treatment of ethnic Turks in Bulgaria at the present time. A report of 15 March 1991 states that while the forced assimilation of Turks in the form of the denial of the right to speak Turkish or to study it in school, to observe Islamic holidays, practice Turkish traditions or to bear Turkish names, was abandoned by the government following the ouster of Zhivkov, ethnic tensions between Turks and Bulgarians remained high (RFE/RL 15 Mar. 1991, 5). Most of the non-Muslim Bulgarian opposition centred around the teaching of Turkish in those areas heavily-populated by ethnic Turks (Ibid.).
A brief report in early 1992 states that two Muslim secondary schools were opened in December 1991 (RFE/RL 10 Jan. 1992, 64) and another, in April 1992, states that the teaching of Turkish had again become an issue (RFE/RL 10 Apr. 1992, 61).
The IRBDC in Ottawa has no further information on this subject at the present time.
References
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 15 March 1991. Report on Eastern Europe [Munich]. Vol. 2, No. 11. Duncan M. Perry, "Ethnic Turks Face Bulgarian Nationalism."
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 10 January 1992. Research Report [Munich]. "Weekly Record of Events."
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 10 April 1992. Research Report. [Munich]. "Weekly Record of Events."
Attachments
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 15 March 1991. Report on Eastern Europe [Munich]. Vol. 2, No. 11. Duncan M. Perry, "Ethnic Turks Face Bulgarian Nationalism."
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 10 January 1992. Research Report [Munich]. "Weekly Record of Events."
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 10 April 1992. Research Report. [Munich]. "Weekly Record of Events."