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ANP (DUTCH PRESS AGENCY)
1 June 2006
Christian Union wants to make the denial of genocide punishable
THE HAGUE (ANP) - The denial of genocide, such as the Holocaust, must be
punishable. To this end the Christian Union (ChristenUnie) party has
submitted a bill to the Parliament. Anyone who intentionally denies a
genocide or a crime against humanity in order to insult others or incite
hate shall be accountable as having committed a crime which can carry a
maximum sentence of one year imprisonment, according to the draft law.
The presenter of the bill, Dutch MP Mrs. Tineke Huizinga, wants to have this
provision included in the Dutch Penal Code as a clear signal that such
denials would not be tolerated. The law should also make it easier to combat
discrimination on Internet, said Huizinga Thursday during the introducing of
her bill.
For the victims of genocides and their surviving relatives the intentional
denials of the committed evil or distorting of the facts are ³indigestible².
Huizinga named as an example, next to the persecution of the Jews during the
Second World War, the extent and dimensions of the slavery in which The
Netherlands has played a ³disgraceful² role.
In addition, the parliament member recalled the Genocide of the Armenians in
1915 during the Ottoman Empire, which is still being denied by the present
day Turkey and the Turks elsewhere. Huizinga and other members of the
Parliament have recently been bombarded by E-mails forwarded especially by
the Turks who oppose the Christian Union bill.
Huizinga emphasised that the bill does not seek to restrict the freedom of
speech. According to her, the historical facts should always be open to
discussion. The denial, approval or justification of genocide should
therefore be punishable when it concerns a deliberate expression to insult
and discriminate people.
The Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands called the bill
a step forward and is happy that the Armenian Genocide has been explicitly
mentioned in the Explanatory Memorandum of the bill. A representative of the
organisation, Mrs. Inge Drost, thinks that the adoption of the bill should
make it possible to close Internet sites which engage in the denial of
Armenian Genocide, such as seemingly innocent site www.armenië.nl
In a reaction, the National Bureau for Combating Race Discrimination and the
Israel Information and Documentation Centre, likewise announced their
support of the bill. The draft law should go first to the Council of State
for advice, following which the Parliament can start the proceedings on the
bill.
1 June 2006
Christian Union wants to make the denial of genocide punishable
THE HAGUE (ANP) - The denial of genocide, such as the Holocaust, must be
punishable. To this end the Christian Union (ChristenUnie) party has
submitted a bill to the Parliament. Anyone who intentionally denies a
genocide or a crime against humanity in order to insult others or incite
hate shall be accountable as having committed a crime which can carry a
maximum sentence of one year imprisonment, according to the draft law.
The presenter of the bill, Dutch MP Mrs. Tineke Huizinga, wants to have this
provision included in the Dutch Penal Code as a clear signal that such
denials would not be tolerated. The law should also make it easier to combat
discrimination on Internet, said Huizinga Thursday during the introducing of
her bill.
For the victims of genocides and their surviving relatives the intentional
denials of the committed evil or distorting of the facts are ³indigestible².
Huizinga named as an example, next to the persecution of the Jews during the
Second World War, the extent and dimensions of the slavery in which The
Netherlands has played a ³disgraceful² role.
In addition, the parliament member recalled the Genocide of the Armenians in
1915 during the Ottoman Empire, which is still being denied by the present
day Turkey and the Turks elsewhere. Huizinga and other members of the
Parliament have recently been bombarded by E-mails forwarded especially by
the Turks who oppose the Christian Union bill.
Huizinga emphasised that the bill does not seek to restrict the freedom of
speech. According to her, the historical facts should always be open to
discussion. The denial, approval or justification of genocide should
therefore be punishable when it concerns a deliberate expression to insult
and discriminate people.
The Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands called the bill
a step forward and is happy that the Armenian Genocide has been explicitly
mentioned in the Explanatory Memorandum of the bill. A representative of the
organisation, Mrs. Inge Drost, thinks that the adoption of the bill should
make it possible to close Internet sites which engage in the denial of
Armenian Genocide, such as seemingly innocent site www.armenië.nl
In a reaction, the National Bureau for Combating Race Discrimination and the
Israel Information and Documentation Centre, likewise announced their
support of the bill. The draft law should go first to the Council of State
for advice, following which the Parliament can start the proceedings on the
bill.