site.btaCommission for Protection against Discrimination Launches Proceedings into Anti-Turkish Rhetoric on Bulgarian National Radio

The Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPD) has launched proceedings acting on a report by Chair Ana Dzhumalieva, the Commission said on Tuesday.

Reportedly during a March 8 broadcast of the “Anton Mitov Presents” programme on the Bulgarian National Radio, Anton Mitov, Director of the Bulgarian National Radio's Archive Fund, and Kin Stoyanov, Director of the Hristo Botev programme, made disparaging remarks about the Turkish ethnicity.

The report stresses that hate speech is unacceptable in public communication and escalation of tensions in society should be avoided. This also concerns public speech and the expression of one's own views, taking into account that freedom of speech is one of the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Bulgarian Constitution as well as in the Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Proceedings on the grounds of "ethnicity" have been initiated against Anton Mitov, Kin Stoyanov, participants in the programme, and the Bulgarian National Radio, represented by its Director General.