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Financial Mirror, Cyprus
Oct 13 2006
French Assembly votes to penalise Armenian Genocide denial
13/10/2006
In a historic move, the French National Assembly has voted
overwhelmingly to adopt a law imposing legal penalties on deniers of
the Armenian Genocide.
The legislation, introduced by Christophe Masse, Didier Migaud et
Martine David (Socialist group), seeks "to counter the denial of the
Armenian Genocide." The measure, adopted by a vote of 106 to 19, adds
a second article to the 2001 law through which "France publicly,
acknowledges the Armenian genocide of 1915."
In a direct reference to the law already in place imposing penalties
for the denial of the Jewish Holocaust ("Loi Gayssot"), the measure
approved this week states that, "those who contest the existence of
the Armenian Genocide through methods recorded in its article 23 will
be sanctioned through article 24-2 of the 28 July 1881 Law on the
press liberty."
"We welcome this historical move, which demonstrates, once again,
that France continues to lead the international community's progress
on human rights and the dignity on man. State-sponsored denial of
genocide represents a calculated form of incendiary hate speech that
threatens both public safety as well as the ability of society to
organize itself, through open discourse, to prevent the repetition of
genocides in the future. We offer our profound thanks to the
individual political leaders and the broader movement that have moved
this cause forward,"
said Hilda Tchoboian, the Chairperson of the European Armenian
Federation.
"We do hope that the Senate will adopt this same text in the very
near future, so that this measure will become the law of France at
the first opportunity," added Tchoboian.
The European Armenian Federation notes with interest that the path to
the adoption of this measure in France was paved by the recent
electoral defeat of Armenian Genocide deniers in Belgium, the
exclusion of Armenian Genocide deniers from electoral lists in the
Netherlands, and the ban on Armenian Genocide denial demonstrations
in Germany.
"The time is now for a global European law that would penalize the
Armenian Genocide denial, as well as the other Genocide denials
occuring in Europe" concluded Tchoboian.
Oct 13 2006
French Assembly votes to penalise Armenian Genocide denial
13/10/2006
In a historic move, the French National Assembly has voted
overwhelmingly to adopt a law imposing legal penalties on deniers of
the Armenian Genocide.
The legislation, introduced by Christophe Masse, Didier Migaud et
Martine David (Socialist group), seeks "to counter the denial of the
Armenian Genocide." The measure, adopted by a vote of 106 to 19, adds
a second article to the 2001 law through which "France publicly,
acknowledges the Armenian genocide of 1915."
In a direct reference to the law already in place imposing penalties
for the denial of the Jewish Holocaust ("Loi Gayssot"), the measure
approved this week states that, "those who contest the existence of
the Armenian Genocide through methods recorded in its article 23 will
be sanctioned through article 24-2 of the 28 July 1881 Law on the
press liberty."
"We welcome this historical move, which demonstrates, once again,
that France continues to lead the international community's progress
on human rights and the dignity on man. State-sponsored denial of
genocide represents a calculated form of incendiary hate speech that
threatens both public safety as well as the ability of society to
organize itself, through open discourse, to prevent the repetition of
genocides in the future. We offer our profound thanks to the
individual political leaders and the broader movement that have moved
this cause forward,"
said Hilda Tchoboian, the Chairperson of the European Armenian
Federation.
"We do hope that the Senate will adopt this same text in the very
near future, so that this measure will become the law of France at
the first opportunity," added Tchoboian.
The European Armenian Federation notes with interest that the path to
the adoption of this measure in France was paved by the recent
electoral defeat of Armenian Genocide deniers in Belgium, the
exclusion of Armenian Genocide deniers from electoral lists in the
Netherlands, and the ban on Armenian Genocide denial demonstrations
in Germany.
"The time is now for a global European law that would penalize the
Armenian Genocide denial, as well as the other Genocide denials
occuring in Europe" concluded Tchoboian.