Ahmed Demir Dogan ( bg, Ахмед Демир Доган; born 29 March 1954), born Ahmed Ismailov Ahmedov (), is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

n oligarch and politician of Turkish ethnicity. He was chairman of the

Movement for Rights and Freedoms The Movement for Rights and Freedoms ( bg, Движение за права и свободи ''Dvizhenie za prava i svobodi'', ДПС, DPS; tr, Hak ve Özgürlükler Hareketi, HÖH) is a centrist political party in Bulgaria with a support base ...

(DPS) from 1990 to 2013.

Life and career

Dogan was born in Pchelarovo to Demire Dogan from Drandar and an unknown father from Pchelarovo, Dobrich Province. In 1981 he completed his studies in philosophy at

Sofia University Sofia University, "St. Kliment Ohridski" at the University of Sofia, ( bg, Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски“, ''Sofijski universitet „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“'') is the oldest higher education i ...

and in 1986 earned the then equivalent of a doctoral degree after completing a dissertation on the theme of "Philosophical analysis of the principle of symmetry". He is the founder of the

(DPS), a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

party that claims to represent the interests of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria. In September 2007, Dogan's name was listed on an official report of communist-era secret police collaborators. According to the report, Dogan was a paid agent of the Committee for State Security from August 1974 until March 1988. In October 2010, the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) in Sofia acquitted Dogan of corruption in a case brought by the Parliamentary Commission regarding consulting fees paid in 2008 and 2009 in respect of hydro-power projects.

2013 attack

On 19 January 2013, as Dogan addressed a large audience from a podium, Oktay Enimehmedov ran onto the stage. Enimehmedov, a Bulgarian national of Turkish descent, pointed a

gas pistol A gas pistol is a non-lethal weapon used for self-defense and other purposes. It is typically a close-to-exact replica or conversion of a traditional handgun made to be able to fire blanks or tear gas cartridges. Effective range is up to 4.5 met ...

within of Dogan's head, but did not discharge the firearm. It was reported that the gun contained blank cartridges, and that one of the cartridges contained

pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, or capsicum spray is a lachrymatory agent (a compound that irritates the eyes to cause a burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, ...

. Had the gun been fired, it would have caused non-lethal injuries. Dogan grappled with Enimehmedov, who was then tackled and wrestled to the ground by security guards and delegates. He was beaten and kicked for several minutes before being arrested. In February 2014, Enimehmedov received a sentence of three-and-a-half years' imprisonment.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dogan, Ahmed 1954 births Living people People from General Toshevo Shooting survivors Bulgarian people of Turkish descent Movement for Rights and Freedoms politicians Bulgarian Muslims Failed assassination attempts