On the occasion of the International Mother Tongue Day (21 February) Language Commissioner Slavisa Mladenovic told RTV KIM that “not all citizens in Kosovo have equal rights to the mother tongue.”
The official languages in Kosovo are Serbian and Albanian, however, these languages are not equal. The main aim is to raise the awareness and the importance of preserving the mother tongue, Mladenovic noted.
Representatives of other communities claim that citizens in smaller areas are also discriminated in relation to their right to mother tongue. Mladenovic underlined the right to mother tongue is one of the fundamental rights and very important to the identity of every person.
“The right to language encompasses human and civic rights related to the use of language in private and public areas. Respecting the Law on Use of Language influences enjoyment of other rights, such as the right to use name and surname in their genuine form, right to education, expression, receiving and exchanging information and many other rights,” Mladenovic added.
The Office of Language Commissioner is not satisfied with the implementation of the Law on Use of Languages in this regard either, and “is using this opportunity to urge all stakeholders to actively work on fulfilling all the language rights as guaranteed by the law.”
