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STEFAN HARABIN'S LETTER ON BILL CRIMINALIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Adonia Agayan
Yerevan Report
Jan 11th, 2012
YEREVAN, January 11 - Slovak judge and politician and former Minister
of Justice of Slovakia Stefan Harabin sent a letter to Ashot Grigoryan,
the President of the Forum of the Armenian Associations of Europe
(FAAE).
The letter reads:
"As previously stated, at the National Assembly of Slovakia we managed
to approve the bill towards those denying the Armenian Genocide. The
bill considers the horrors of genocide, racism, Holocaust and communism
a crime against humanity and their deliberate justification and denial
envisions five years in jail, while their unintended justification and
denial envisions three years in jail. The bill has come into force
since September 1 of 2009. In fact, Slovakia is the first EU state
legally punishing the denial of Armenian Genocide and the second state
(after Switzerland), which passed the mentioned bill.
What makes me surprise is the unprecedented "fuss" Turkey caused over
the bill approved by the French Senate, especially when even despite
its fruitless protests against the adoption of the bill criminalizing
the Armenian Genocide, Slovakia and Switzerland passed it. I appeal
to the members and the speaker of the French Senate stating that it's
a great necessity to pass the bill.
I believe Slovakia will join French President's call upon
assisting other EU member states in passing the bill. I appeal to
the corresponding members of Slovakia's Parliament asking them to
support the French Senate in the adoption of the bill criminalizing
the denial of the Armenian Genocide and to transfer our experience
of fighting against Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide to the
parliaments of other EU member states."
In his turn, Ashot Grigoryan noted that FAAE has already started
wide-scale works aimed at the adoption of the bill criminalizing
Armenian Genocide by other EU member states as well.
By Adonia Agayan
Yerevan Report
Jan 11th, 2012
YEREVAN, January 11 - Slovak judge and politician and former Minister
of Justice of Slovakia Stefan Harabin sent a letter to Ashot Grigoryan,
the President of the Forum of the Armenian Associations of Europe
(FAAE).
The letter reads:
"As previously stated, at the National Assembly of Slovakia we managed
to approve the bill towards those denying the Armenian Genocide. The
bill considers the horrors of genocide, racism, Holocaust and communism
a crime against humanity and their deliberate justification and denial
envisions five years in jail, while their unintended justification and
denial envisions three years in jail. The bill has come into force
since September 1 of 2009. In fact, Slovakia is the first EU state
legally punishing the denial of Armenian Genocide and the second state
(after Switzerland), which passed the mentioned bill.
What makes me surprise is the unprecedented "fuss" Turkey caused over
the bill approved by the French Senate, especially when even despite
its fruitless protests against the adoption of the bill criminalizing
the Armenian Genocide, Slovakia and Switzerland passed it. I appeal
to the members and the speaker of the French Senate stating that it's
a great necessity to pass the bill.
I believe Slovakia will join French President's call upon
assisting other EU member states in passing the bill. I appeal to
the corresponding members of Slovakia's Parliament asking them to
support the French Senate in the adoption of the bill criminalizing
the denial of the Armenian Genocide and to transfer our experience
of fighting against Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide to the
parliaments of other EU member states."
In his turn, Ashot Grigoryan noted that FAAE has already started
wide-scale works aimed at the adoption of the bill criminalizing
Armenian Genocide by other EU member states as well.