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TURKISH RIGHTS GROUP SAYS UNITE AGAINST GENOCIDE DENIAL, NOT AGAINST FRANCE
asbarez
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
The Web page of the Committee Against Racism and Discrimination of
Turkey's Human Rights Association
ISTANBUL--On Dec. 22, the Committee Against Racism and Discrimination
of Turkey's Human Rights Association issued a press release and
initiated a signature campaign calling on Turks to unite against
genocide denial, not against the French Parliament. Below is the full
text of the release. The Turkish version is available on the group's
Web site.
Broad segments of Turkish society seem to be united against the
bill penalizing the denial of genocide, which will be discussed on
Dec. 22, 2011 in the French Parliament [Editor's note: The bill has
since passed]. The Turkish state's denial and threats are supported
by business and consumer associations and civil society. Turkey's
intelligentsia is also speaking against the bill. The common argument
for all these sectors against France is "freedom of expression";
they are arguing that banning the denial of the Armenian Genocide
undermines freedom of expression.
We, the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Association of Turkey's
Committee Against Racism and Discrimination declare that the denial
of a crime against humanity such as genocide has nothing to do with
freedom of expression.
The denial of the annihilation of a nation--with its entire social
fabric, professions, works of art, and historical heritage--by the
state itself, intentionally and in a planned manner, means endorsing
the crime and justifying such violence. Therefore, denial of genocide
cannot be considered within the boundaries of freedom of speech. It
constitutes violence against the grandchildren of genocide survivors
in Turkey and elsewhere in the world and against the memory of the
genocide victims. The European Court of Human Rights in many cases
has ruled that freedom of expression is not applicable to expressions
of violence.
The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention for Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in December 1948 and the Convention
came into force in January 1951. Since that day, Holocaust denial
has been punished in many countries with fines and prison sentences.
The punishment of Holocaust denial entails fines and prison sentences
of up to 20 years in Austria, fines and up to 1 year imprisonment
in Belgium, 6 months to 2 years imprisonment in the Czech Republic,
a fine and 5-month prison sentence in Germany, a fine and 1 month to
2 years imprisonment in France, a 3-4-year prison sentence in Italy,
and a fine and 1-10-year prison sentence in Lithuania. In other words,
punishment for genocide denial is neither new nor specific to France.
On Feb. 1, 2011, the Reis-ul Ulema (Grand Mufti) of Bosnian Muslims,
Mustafa CeriÄ~G, during a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp
together with a group of 150--comprised of Christian, Muslim, and
Jewish delegations--said that those who denied the Holocaust or the
genocide of Muslims in Srebrenica should be treated as accomplices
in the crime.
One argument progressive intellectuals use against the French bill
banning denial is the memory of Hrant Dink, who was opposed to the
passage of such laws. We believe it is wrong to base one's opinion
on today's French bill on the views expressed years ago by Hrant
Dink, who was assassinated as a result of collaboration between the
state's special war apparatus and fascist elements. Not only is it
absurd to speculate on what Hrant Dink would think today, but it is
fundamental to the freedom of thought--something the intellectuals
uphold as sacred--that people should have the right to develop their
own independent opinions, free of others' guidance.
In conclusion, we invite the NGOs, the business organizations,
such as the Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges and
Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen, opinion makers,
and intellectuals to stop campaigning against the French Parliament
and work for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the Assyrian
Genocide, and the ethnic cleansing of the Greeks by the state and
society.
asbarez
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
The Web page of the Committee Against Racism and Discrimination of
Turkey's Human Rights Association
ISTANBUL--On Dec. 22, the Committee Against Racism and Discrimination
of Turkey's Human Rights Association issued a press release and
initiated a signature campaign calling on Turks to unite against
genocide denial, not against the French Parliament. Below is the full
text of the release. The Turkish version is available on the group's
Web site.
Broad segments of Turkish society seem to be united against the
bill penalizing the denial of genocide, which will be discussed on
Dec. 22, 2011 in the French Parliament [Editor's note: The bill has
since passed]. The Turkish state's denial and threats are supported
by business and consumer associations and civil society. Turkey's
intelligentsia is also speaking against the bill. The common argument
for all these sectors against France is "freedom of expression";
they are arguing that banning the denial of the Armenian Genocide
undermines freedom of expression.
We, the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Association of Turkey's
Committee Against Racism and Discrimination declare that the denial
of a crime against humanity such as genocide has nothing to do with
freedom of expression.
The denial of the annihilation of a nation--with its entire social
fabric, professions, works of art, and historical heritage--by the
state itself, intentionally and in a planned manner, means endorsing
the crime and justifying such violence. Therefore, denial of genocide
cannot be considered within the boundaries of freedom of speech. It
constitutes violence against the grandchildren of genocide survivors
in Turkey and elsewhere in the world and against the memory of the
genocide victims. The European Court of Human Rights in many cases
has ruled that freedom of expression is not applicable to expressions
of violence.
The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention for Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in December 1948 and the Convention
came into force in January 1951. Since that day, Holocaust denial
has been punished in many countries with fines and prison sentences.
The punishment of Holocaust denial entails fines and prison sentences
of up to 20 years in Austria, fines and up to 1 year imprisonment
in Belgium, 6 months to 2 years imprisonment in the Czech Republic,
a fine and 5-month prison sentence in Germany, a fine and 1 month to
2 years imprisonment in France, a 3-4-year prison sentence in Italy,
and a fine and 1-10-year prison sentence in Lithuania. In other words,
punishment for genocide denial is neither new nor specific to France.
On Feb. 1, 2011, the Reis-ul Ulema (Grand Mufti) of Bosnian Muslims,
Mustafa CeriÄ~G, during a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp
together with a group of 150--comprised of Christian, Muslim, and
Jewish delegations--said that those who denied the Holocaust or the
genocide of Muslims in Srebrenica should be treated as accomplices
in the crime.
One argument progressive intellectuals use against the French bill
banning denial is the memory of Hrant Dink, who was opposed to the
passage of such laws. We believe it is wrong to base one's opinion
on today's French bill on the views expressed years ago by Hrant
Dink, who was assassinated as a result of collaboration between the
state's special war apparatus and fascist elements. Not only is it
absurd to speculate on what Hrant Dink would think today, but it is
fundamental to the freedom of thought--something the intellectuals
uphold as sacred--that people should have the right to develop their
own independent opinions, free of others' guidance.
In conclusion, we invite the NGOs, the business organizations,
such as the Union of Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges and
Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen, opinion makers,
and intellectuals to stop campaigning against the French Parliament
and work for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the Assyrian
Genocide, and the ethnic cleansing of the Greeks by the state and
society.