Macedonian Minority
There exists a small number of individuals identifying as ethnic Macedonian in the Blagoevgrad province of Bulgaria. The 2001 census shows 5,071 while other sources cite between 3,000 and 25,000. The Greek Helsinki Monitor reports that the "Bulgarian state and public opinion alike deny their right to self-identification", and that "any actions pertaining to public demonstration of the Macedonian identity in Bulgaria are subjected to a more or less direct suppression and denial" . That considered, Macedonian is given as an option for nationality on the census. The Bulgarian majority (including the press) regards Macedonians, living in Bulgaria as 'pure' Bulgarians.
Macedonians have been refused the right to register political parties (see United Macedonian Organisation Ilinden and UMO Ilinden - PIRIN) on the grounds that the party was an "ethnic separatist organisation funded by a foreign government", something that is against the Bulgarian constitution. The constitutional court has not however banned the Evroroma (Евророма) and MRF(ДПС) parties, who are widely considered as ethnic parties. The European Court of Human Rights held "unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the European Convention on Human Rights."
Read more about this topic: Human Rights In Bulgaria
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