ECHR: Contrary to "freedom of expression"
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the administrative fine of a Turkish-speaking politician in the 2013 election campaign in Bulgaria violated the freedom of expression.
The ECtHR, has announced its decision to impose an administrative penalty of 250 euros on politician Lütfi Mestan for speaking Turkish during the 2013 general election campaign in Bulgaria.
The court pointed out that in Bulgaria, the Election Law prohibits the use of a language other than Bulgarian as the official language in election campaigns.
In its decision, the ECtHR emphasized the importance of pluralism, tolerance and the protection of minorities in a democratic society and decided that the administrative penalty imposed on Mestan violated Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on freedom of expression.
The court decided that Bulgaria would pay 3,200 euros for court costs and a total of 1200 euros in 3 months as compensation to Mestan.
Mestan spoke Turkish during the 2013 general election campaign in Bulgaria.
Bulgarian officials claimed that Mestan violated the country's Election Law.
Mestan, who was first sentenced to an administrative fine of approximately 1000 euros, was revised to 250 euros as a result of his appeal to the Kotel District Court.
Mestan applied to the ECtHR regarding this incident in 2015, arguing that Article 10 of the ECHR on freedom of expression and Article 14 on the prohibition of discrimination were violated.