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SWISS DROP PROBE INTO TURKISH MINISTER GENOCIDE COMMENTS.
EuroNews
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/1467714-swiss-drop-probe-into-turkish-minister-genocide-comments/
April 2 2012
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss prosecutors will drop a criminal probe
against Turkey's EU affairs minister, instigated after he denied
Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians nearly 100 years
ago, because he is protected by diplomatic immunity.
Zurich prosecutors began investigating minister Egemen Bagis after
comments he made at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January,
and also at a concert in Zurich. Swiss anti-racism legislation outlaws
genocide denial.
Turkey summoned the Swiss ambassador in Ankara to complain after the
investigation was launched.
"After consulting with the Swiss foreign ministry, the prosecutor
has concluded that criminal charges against Egemen Bagis cannot be
pursued because, as a Turkish EU minister, he enjoyed immunity during
his entire stay in Switzerland," the prosecutor said in a statement
on Monday.
Backed by many historians and foreign parliaments, Armenia says about
1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern
Turkey during World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered
by the Ottoman government.
The Ottoman empire was dissolved at the end of the war, but successive
Turkish governments and the vast majority of Turks believe the charge
of genocide is an insult to their nation. Ankara argues there was
heavy loss of life on both sides during fighting in the region.
Swiss authorities have taken legal action against several people who
have denied the Armenian genocide. The most prominent case is the
conviction of Turkish politician Dogu Perincek, who was fined 3,000
Swiss francs in 2007.
In January, the French Senate approved similar legislation, prompting
an angry response from Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
termed the legislation "discriminatory and racist".
(Reporting By Katharina Bart)
EuroNews
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/1467714-swiss-drop-probe-into-turkish-minister-genocide-comments/
April 2 2012
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss prosecutors will drop a criminal probe
against Turkey's EU affairs minister, instigated after he denied
Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians nearly 100 years
ago, because he is protected by diplomatic immunity.
Zurich prosecutors began investigating minister Egemen Bagis after
comments he made at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January,
and also at a concert in Zurich. Swiss anti-racism legislation outlaws
genocide denial.
Turkey summoned the Swiss ambassador in Ankara to complain after the
investigation was launched.
"After consulting with the Swiss foreign ministry, the prosecutor
has concluded that criminal charges against Egemen Bagis cannot be
pursued because, as a Turkish EU minister, he enjoyed immunity during
his entire stay in Switzerland," the prosecutor said in a statement
on Monday.
Backed by many historians and foreign parliaments, Armenia says about
1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern
Turkey during World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered
by the Ottoman government.
The Ottoman empire was dissolved at the end of the war, but successive
Turkish governments and the vast majority of Turks believe the charge
of genocide is an insult to their nation. Ankara argues there was
heavy loss of life on both sides during fighting in the region.
Swiss authorities have taken legal action against several people who
have denied the Armenian genocide. The most prominent case is the
conviction of Turkish politician Dogu Perincek, who was fined 3,000
Swiss francs in 2007.
In January, the French Senate approved similar legislation, prompting
an angry response from Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
termed the legislation "discriminatory and racist".
(Reporting By Katharina Bart)