![Association Radko Flag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Association_Radko_Flag.png)
The Radko Association ( bg, Сдружение Радко, ''Sdruzhenie Radko''; mk, Здружение Радко, ''Združenie Radko'') is a political organization of citizens of
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
with a
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
national consciousness. Founded in 2000 and based in
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
, the association was named after
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр ...
(IMRO) leader
Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihailov Gavrilov ( bg, Иван Михайлов Гаврилов; mk, Ванчо Михајлов Гаврилов;He is credited in English-language sources as ''Mihailov'', while the Bulgarian and Macedonian transliteration schemes ...
's most popular pseudonym. The Radko Association was presided by the Ohrid native Vladimir Pankov until his death in 2019.
Among the association's goals are amendments to the
Macedonian constitution in order to make Bulgarian an
official language
An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
, the constitutional recognition of Bulgarians as a national community, and the cessation of state discrimination and repression towards the Bulgarian-identifying population.
The association is critical of the
official historiography in North Macedonia and claims that the
Macedonian ethnic identity was forcefully imposed on
Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian and sr, Вардарска Македонија, ''Vardarska Makedonija'') was the name given to the territory of the Kingdom of Serbia (1912–1918) and Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) roughly corresponding to to ...
's Bulgarian population.
In 2001, the association was declared unconstitutional and banned by the Constitutional Court of the
Republic of Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
. However, the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...
held that the dissolution of the Association infringed
Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights
Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights protects the right to freedom of assembly and association, including the right to form trade unions, subject to certain restrictions that are "in accordance with law" and "necessary in a democr ...
. The court ordered the Macedonian state to pay five thousand euros in respect of non-pecuniary damage and four thousand euros in respect of costs and expenses.
''Association of Citizens Radko & Paunkovski v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', 74651/01 (15/01/2009)
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See also
* Bulgarians in the Republic of Macedonia
Bulgarians are an ethnic minority in North Macedonia. Bulgarians are mostly found in the Strumica area, but over the years, the absolute majority of southeastern North Macedonia have declared themselves Macedonian. The town of Strumica and it ...
* Macedonian Bulgarians
Macedonians or Macedonian Bulgarians ( bg, македонци or македонски българи), sometimes also referred to as Macedono-Bulgarians, Macedo-Bulgarians, or Bulgaro-Macedonians are a regional, ethnographic group of et ...
* Bulgarian Cultural Club – Skopje
The Bulgarian Cultural Club – Skopje ( mk, Бугарски културен клуб – Скопје) is a non-governmental organization in the Republic of North Macedonia established on 4 May 2008, and registered on 22 May 2008. Its executive ...
* Radko Knoll
References
External links
Archived website
Website
European Court of Human Rights judgement on the ''Association of Citizens Radko & Paunkovski v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'' case
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2020
Ethnic organizations based in North Macedonia
Organizations established in 2000
Ohrid
European Court of Human Rights cases involving North Macedonia
Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights
2000 establishments in the Republic of Macedonia
Macedonian Bulgarians