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DINK'S BROTHER SAYS FRANCE'S GENOCIDE BILL VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS
Today's Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
Orhan Dink, brother of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
has opposed French plans to pass a bill criminalizing denial of
Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire,
saying the planned measure constitutes a violation of human rights.
In remarks broadcast on Monday evening on private CNN Turk television,
Dink also called on the Armenian diaspora in France to oppose the
bill, which will be taken up by the French National Assembly on
Thursday. "This bill is an insult to you. This pain should not be left
in the hands of politicians," he said. "I am calling on my brothers,
friends, people in the diaspora who suffered from the same pain as
me; they should oppose this bill, too. Oppose this violation of human
rights and prevent our pain from being used as a political tool."
Turkey, which rejects genocide claims, has called the French bill an
attempt to limit freedom of expression, with Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu saying such a ban reflects "a mentality from the dark ages."
The bill to be debated by the National Assembly, the lower house of
the French Parliament, proposes punishing anyone who denies that the
killings constitute genocide with one-year in prison and a fine of
45,000 euros.
Armenians say 1.5 million Anatolian Armenians were killed in a
systematic genocide campaign during World War I. Turkey says the
figures are inflated and insists that the killings occurred as the
Ottoman Empire was trying to quell an uprising of Armenians, who
revolted against Ottoman rule for independence, in collaboration with
the Russian army, which was invading eastern Anatolia.
Hrant Dink, who had been convicted for "insulting Turkishness" over
his remarks on the alleged genocide, was killed in 2007 by a teenage
hitman in front of his office in İstanbul.
Orhan Dink said his brother had opposed the bill when there were
previous attempts to pass the measure in 2001 and 2006. "My brother
was killed because of his conviction [for insulting
Turkishness]. Thus, it is our most natural right to oppose the French
bill," Dink said.
In an apparent reference to Turkish accusations against France
for ignoring its bloody past, Dink also said: "I want to send this
message to politicians of both countries: Everybody should look at
themselves in the mirror. A debate over who is worse than who will
bring no result."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Paris saying
the country should investigate alleged French abuses in Algeria and
Rwanda instead. Davutoglu has also threatened to denounce France's
colonial past at international meetings in retaliation.
Today's Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
Orhan Dink, brother of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
has opposed French plans to pass a bill criminalizing denial of
Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire,
saying the planned measure constitutes a violation of human rights.
In remarks broadcast on Monday evening on private CNN Turk television,
Dink also called on the Armenian diaspora in France to oppose the
bill, which will be taken up by the French National Assembly on
Thursday. "This bill is an insult to you. This pain should not be left
in the hands of politicians," he said. "I am calling on my brothers,
friends, people in the diaspora who suffered from the same pain as
me; they should oppose this bill, too. Oppose this violation of human
rights and prevent our pain from being used as a political tool."
Turkey, which rejects genocide claims, has called the French bill an
attempt to limit freedom of expression, with Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu saying such a ban reflects "a mentality from the dark ages."
The bill to be debated by the National Assembly, the lower house of
the French Parliament, proposes punishing anyone who denies that the
killings constitute genocide with one-year in prison and a fine of
45,000 euros.
Armenians say 1.5 million Anatolian Armenians were killed in a
systematic genocide campaign during World War I. Turkey says the
figures are inflated and insists that the killings occurred as the
Ottoman Empire was trying to quell an uprising of Armenians, who
revolted against Ottoman rule for independence, in collaboration with
the Russian army, which was invading eastern Anatolia.
Hrant Dink, who had been convicted for "insulting Turkishness" over
his remarks on the alleged genocide, was killed in 2007 by a teenage
hitman in front of his office in İstanbul.
Orhan Dink said his brother had opposed the bill when there were
previous attempts to pass the measure in 2001 and 2006. "My brother
was killed because of his conviction [for insulting
Turkishness]. Thus, it is our most natural right to oppose the French
bill," Dink said.
In an apparent reference to Turkish accusations against France
for ignoring its bloody past, Dink also said: "I want to send this
message to politicians of both countries: Everybody should look at
themselves in the mirror. A debate over who is worse than who will
bring no result."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Paris saying
the country should investigate alleged French abuses in Algeria and
Rwanda instead. Davutoglu has also threatened to denounce France's
colonial past at international meetings in retaliation.