The chairman of the Tatar parliament's commission for science, culture and education, Razil Valiyev, today told RFE/RL by phone from Istanbul, Turkey, that Tatar officials will appeal the decision.

"This political decision of the court does not surprise us. But we should not stop at that. The only way that remains for us is to appeal [the court's decision] to international organizations, particularly the [European] Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. There is no other way."

Proponents of the switch say Latin is more suited than Cyrillic for transliterating the language's sounds. Opponents say such a switch would split the community, and would complicate teaching and printing literature.

Source: RFE