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FRENCH ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL ANGERS TURKEY
By Jack Phillips
Epoch Times
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/french-armenian-genocide-bill-angers-turkey-161819.html
Dec 20 2011
Turkish officials on Tuesday bristled at a proposed French bill that
would prosecute people who deny the Armenian genocide during World
War I, which was at the time carried out by the Ottoman Empire.
The French Parliament is slated to hold a debate on the bill and
Turkey said that if it were passed, Turkey would frequently and
publicly denounce France's colonial past, reported Today's Zaman,
a daily English language newspaper in Turkey.
In the incident, which occurred more than 90 years ago, the Ottoman
Turks killed more than 1.5 million Armenians, according to many
historians, and it is considered one of the worst genocides during
the 20th century. Turkey denies that it was genocide and says only
around 300,000 were killed and that Turks were also killed when
Armenia attempted an uprising against the Ottomans.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said the bill "aims to eliminate
freedom of denying unfair and groundless accusations directed against
our country and nation," according to the Zaman.
Adding that the bill is an affront to personal liberties, Gul said
he hopes "the bill in question is dropped and history writing is left
to historians."
The penalty for denying the Armenian genocide would be a maximum
one year in prison and a $58,000 fine, which makes it on par with
Holocaust denial, reported EurActiv.
By Jack Phillips
Epoch Times
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/french-armenian-genocide-bill-angers-turkey-161819.html
Dec 20 2011
Turkish officials on Tuesday bristled at a proposed French bill that
would prosecute people who deny the Armenian genocide during World
War I, which was at the time carried out by the Ottoman Empire.
The French Parliament is slated to hold a debate on the bill and
Turkey said that if it were passed, Turkey would frequently and
publicly denounce France's colonial past, reported Today's Zaman,
a daily English language newspaper in Turkey.
In the incident, which occurred more than 90 years ago, the Ottoman
Turks killed more than 1.5 million Armenians, according to many
historians, and it is considered one of the worst genocides during
the 20th century. Turkey denies that it was genocide and says only
around 300,000 were killed and that Turks were also killed when
Armenia attempted an uprising against the Ottomans.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said the bill "aims to eliminate
freedom of denying unfair and groundless accusations directed against
our country and nation," according to the Zaman.
Adding that the bill is an affront to personal liberties, Gul said
he hopes "the bill in question is dropped and history writing is left
to historians."
The penalty for denying the Armenian genocide would be a maximum
one year in prison and a $58,000 fine, which makes it on par with
Holocaust denial, reported EurActiv.