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Today's Zaman, Turkey
May 5 2011
France's UMP to push circular after Senate drops genocide bill
05 May 2011, Thursday / EMRE DEMİR , PARİS
After the French Senate on Wednesday buried a draft bill to
criminalize denying that Armenians were subjected to genocide at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire, which was submitted by Socialist
senators, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) government has
proposed a circular for trying those who deny the claims.
Senators voted on a procedural motion, declaring the text
`inadmissible' with 196 votes against 74, which is equivalent to
rejection. The bill proposed to punish those who challenge the
existence of the Armenian genocide with a year in prison and a
45,000-euro fine.
However, the UMP government, which has promised Turkish officials on
many occasions that they would say `no' to the proposed bill, has
bowed to pressure from the Armenian lobby and made a compromise. The
justice minister, delivering a speech at the Senate on Wednesday,
offered to issue a circular to pave the way to trying those who deny
the alleged genocide.
Justice Minister Michel Mercier announced at the Senate that the
circular will be drafted later this week. Suggesting that the
government has been preparing this circular to prevent racist
incidents against the Armenian society, Mercier said sanctions will be
implemented against denial statements.
Mercier gave a special commission held between the Jewish society and
the Ministry of Justice as an example, saying: `I invite the
representatives of the Armenian society to jointly work with members
of the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice in order to determine all
of the incidents of genocide denial and racism.'
According to the circular, a commission comprised of representatives
of the Armenian society will be able to file complaints to punish
those who deny the existence of genocide with jail sentences.
The move by the UMP, in a bid to appease Armenian society ahead of
next year's presidential elections, has been enthusiastically welcomed
by the Armenian lobby. Turkish officials, meanwhile, were `shocked' by
the circular proposal, which they learned about during some
discussions on the bill.
Analysts say that the justice minister cannot make such a move without
the consent of President Nicolas Sarkozy. After the rejection of the
draft bill, bringing similar bills to the agenda will become more
difficult.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were either sent to their
deaths or slaughtered in eastern Anatolia at the hands of Ottoman
Turks in 1915, an accusation that Turkey vehemently rejects. Turkey
says both sides suffered tragic losses in a state of war during World
War I.
The French Parliament recognized the so-called Armenian genocide in
2001, which resulted in short-lived tension between France and Turkey.
In 2006 the French National Assembly adopted the bill proposing
punishment for anyone who denies the Armenian genocide. However, it
had to be passed by the Senate in order to be enforced.
In late March, as a result of efforts by a group of Socialists, the
bill was debated at the Senate's plenary session on Wednesday.
It was presented by Serge Lagauche of the Socialist Party and 30 of
his Socialist colleagues in a `niche' (meeting of parliamentary
initiative) reserved for the Socialist group, at the request of the
first party secretary, Martine Aubry.
From: A. Papazian
May 5 2011
France's UMP to push circular after Senate drops genocide bill
05 May 2011, Thursday / EMRE DEMİR , PARİS
After the French Senate on Wednesday buried a draft bill to
criminalize denying that Armenians were subjected to genocide at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire, which was submitted by Socialist
senators, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) government has
proposed a circular for trying those who deny the claims.
Senators voted on a procedural motion, declaring the text
`inadmissible' with 196 votes against 74, which is equivalent to
rejection. The bill proposed to punish those who challenge the
existence of the Armenian genocide with a year in prison and a
45,000-euro fine.
However, the UMP government, which has promised Turkish officials on
many occasions that they would say `no' to the proposed bill, has
bowed to pressure from the Armenian lobby and made a compromise. The
justice minister, delivering a speech at the Senate on Wednesday,
offered to issue a circular to pave the way to trying those who deny
the alleged genocide.
Justice Minister Michel Mercier announced at the Senate that the
circular will be drafted later this week. Suggesting that the
government has been preparing this circular to prevent racist
incidents against the Armenian society, Mercier said sanctions will be
implemented against denial statements.
Mercier gave a special commission held between the Jewish society and
the Ministry of Justice as an example, saying: `I invite the
representatives of the Armenian society to jointly work with members
of the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice in order to determine all
of the incidents of genocide denial and racism.'
According to the circular, a commission comprised of representatives
of the Armenian society will be able to file complaints to punish
those who deny the existence of genocide with jail sentences.
The move by the UMP, in a bid to appease Armenian society ahead of
next year's presidential elections, has been enthusiastically welcomed
by the Armenian lobby. Turkish officials, meanwhile, were `shocked' by
the circular proposal, which they learned about during some
discussions on the bill.
Analysts say that the justice minister cannot make such a move without
the consent of President Nicolas Sarkozy. After the rejection of the
draft bill, bringing similar bills to the agenda will become more
difficult.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were either sent to their
deaths or slaughtered in eastern Anatolia at the hands of Ottoman
Turks in 1915, an accusation that Turkey vehemently rejects. Turkey
says both sides suffered tragic losses in a state of war during World
War I.
The French Parliament recognized the so-called Armenian genocide in
2001, which resulted in short-lived tension between France and Turkey.
In 2006 the French National Assembly adopted the bill proposing
punishment for anyone who denies the Armenian genocide. However, it
had to be passed by the Senate in order to be enforced.
In late March, as a result of efforts by a group of Socialists, the
bill was debated at the Senate's plenary session on Wednesday.
It was presented by Serge Lagauche of the Socialist Party and 30 of
his Socialist colleagues in a `niche' (meeting of parliamentary
initiative) reserved for the Socialist group, at the request of the
first party secretary, Martine Aubry.
From: A. Papazian