Assessment for Turks in Bulgaria

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Risk Assessment | Analytic Summary | References

Risk Assessment

There is no risk of rebellion for the Turkish minority in Bulgaria. In the past they have not engaged in violent activities, preferring to address their issues via democratic competition. Since this avenue proved to be successful, the presence of factors such as geographic concentration and high group organization and cohesion does not suggest that rebellion would occur. The Bulgarian regime has been stable in the entire post-Communist period, and there has been no repression against the group.

The potential for protests is also very low, although the awarding of a medal of honor to ethnic Turk Dogan and to a Communist era prosecutor who helped to enforce assimilation laws, sparked low-key protest in which Dogan returned the award. The various Bulgarian governments, which have relied on the Turkish minority party for support in parliament, have not engaged in acts of repression against the Turks, whose cultural and political rights are respected. The support that Turkey offers to the ethnic Turks living in Bulgaria encourages politically negotiated solutions.

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Analytic Summary

Most Turks live in two main areas where they represent the majority of the inhabitants, one in the northeast of the country (Silistra – Varna), the other in the southeastern corner (Haskovo – Kurdzali) (GROUPCON = 2). The feature that sets the Turks apart from the majority population is religion (BELIEF = 2); a large majority of Turks are Sunni Muslim, whereas the majority of Bulgarians are Eastern Orthodox. However, there are also Pomaks, ethnic Bulgarians who are Muslim. Turks have their own language, Turkish, which is now taught in schools at most levels of education (LANG = 1). For a large part of its history, Bulgaria came under the domination of the Ottoman Empire, where religion and not ethnicity was the most relevant distinction. Under the Ottomans, the Turks were an advantaged minority, enjoying most privileges and occupying ruling administrative positions. After Bulgarian independence (late 19th century), there was not a strong backlash against the Turks. The worst period in terms of discrimination and mistreatment occurred in recent history, in the mid-1980s under the leadership of the Communist leader Todor Zhivkov, who initiated a policy of Bulgarization and cultural assimilation, which included the forced changing of Turkish names to Bulgarian ones. As a consequence, a large number of Bulgarian Turks fled to Turkey. Most of them returned after the fall of Communism.

The cultural rights of Turks are generally well-respected, including broadcasting, print media and schooling in Turkish. However, there has been some state interference in the religious activities of some Islamic factions and other religious minorities in that they must register with the state (CULP01 = 2). Economically, the Turks are disadvantaged relative to the Bulgarians in terms of income, presence in professions and presence in the commercial sector, and the overall level of discrimination is seen as one of historical neglect but with neutral state policies (ECDIS06 = 2). Politically, the Turks have representatives at high levels of the legislative and the executive as well as at the local level in areas where they form the majority (POLDIS06 = 0). The only demographic stress facing the Turks is a higher birthrate than the rest of the population.

Most of the grievances have to do with the improvement of the Turks’ economic situation (ECGR04-06 = 2)and with more support for the Turkish language and cultural traditions (CULGR04-06 = 2).

The Turks present a very cohesive front; they have been organized since the very first free election held in Bulgaria, representing the third largest political force in the country. Their party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), has been part of government coalitions and made alliances with both left- and right-wing Bulgarian parties. Turkey has provided moral support for the organization. In 2001, a non-political association was established under the name of “Evet.” Evet claims to be working to protect the interests of Bulgarian Turks and to integrate the minority into the larger society; they appear to have offices set up in a few towns in southern Bulgaria. Both parties remain committed to the conventional political process (GOJPA06 = 2).

There has been only one instance of intergroup conflict in the recent past. In 2004, a mosque was set ablaze and vandalized with swastikas (INTERCON04 = 1). The perpetrators of the attack remain unknown. There were no incidents of rebellion in the recent past (REB00-06 = 0). One instance of protest in 2004 pertained to an award given to Dogan, head of the MRF party. The medal was one of Bulgaria’s highest honors and was given to him for his work to ensure ethnic Turks’ rights during the forced assimilation campaign. Later that year, a prosecutor, who participated in the forced assimilation campaign, was to be given the same medal. In protest, Dogan returned the medal (PROT04 = 2).

The Bulgarian regime improved consistently throughout the past decade, showing signs of democratic consolidation and improvement for the situation of the Turks. Many measures aimed at responding to the demands of the group have been implemented. A factor in this transformation for the better has been the support Turkey, Bulgaria’s neighbor to the south and now a fellow-NATO member, has given to the Bulgarian government regarding ethnic Turks. There was also no spillover from the Balkan conflicts into Bulgaria.

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References

Glenn E. Curtis, ed. 1993. Bulgaria: a country study. Library of Congress Federal Research Division.

CIA World Factbook, 2007.

Eminov, Ali. 1997. Turkish and other Muslim Minoirties in Bulgaria. Routledge: New York.

Human Rights Watch. World Report: Bulgaria (2001-2002).

LexisNexis. Various news reports. 1989-2006.

Nikolaev, Rada. 1993. "Bulgaria's 1992 Census: Results, Problems and Implications." RFE/RL Research Repor. 2:6. 58-62.

U.S. Department of State. Annual Reports on Human Rights Practices. Bulgaria. 1989-2006.

Vasileva, Darina. 1992. Bulgarian Turkish Emigration and Return. International Migration Review. 26:2. 342-352.

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