{{Russia}}{{date|November 16, 2004}}

{{w|Moscow|MOSCOW}} &mdash; [[Russia]]'s highest court has judged that {{w|Tatars}} living in the federal state of {{w|Tatarstan}} may not apply the {{w|Latin alphabet}} to their language without permission from the federal government in Moscow. The Tatars had instituted legal proceedings because their {{w|Turkic languages|Turkic language}} differs greatly from {{w|Russian language|Russian}}, the ''[[BBC News|BBC]]'' reports.

The law banning all alphabets but {{w|Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic}} has been one in a long range of regulations and restrictions, claimed by officials to be designed to protect Russia's linguistic heritage. The Russian federal government has been cited to consider the use of a non-Cyrillic alphabet by federal states a 'separatist tendency'.

{{haveyoursay}}
== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4016571.stm
 |title=Russia court sticks to letter law
 |author=
 |pub=BBC News
 |date=November 16, 2004}}

{{publish}}
{{archive}}
{{PD-Article}}

[[Category:Russia]]
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
MOSCOW — Russia's highest court has judged that Tatarstan may not apply the Turkic languages|Turkic language differs greatly from Russian, the BBC reports.

The law banning all alphabets but Cyrillic has been one in a long range of regulations and restrictions, claimed by officials to be designed to protect Russia's linguistic heritage. The Russian federal government has been cited to consider the use of a non-Cyrillic alphabet by federal states a 'separatist tendency'.