Tweet
GENOCIDE DENIAL LAW IS PASSED
The Connexion
http://connexionfrance.com/Senate-law-Armenian-genocide-13402-view-article.html
Jan 24 2012
France
A BAN on denying that killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire
constituted genocide will be enshrined in French law.
The Senate adopted by 127 votes to 86 a proposed law already passed
by the National Assembly to punish by ~@45,000 and a year in prison
anyone who denies or "minimises in an outrageous manner" "a genocide
recognised by law".
In fact the law only relates to the Armenian Genocide, Holocaust
denial already being offence under a previous one.
Turkey recalled its ambassador from Paris after the bill was passed
by the National Assembly last month and some official visits between
the countries were cancelled.
During the debate both Armenians and pro-Turkish demonstrators massed
outside, kept separate by gendarmes.
Only the left-wing radicals and greens opposed the law en masse,
saying it was not parliament's role to legislate on such matters.
Green senator Esther Benbassa, who lived in Turkey as a child, said:
"This law cobbled together in a rush will not help the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide in Turkey or help bring together the Armenian
and Turkish people".
However supporters of the bill said it was not right there was a law
about the Jewish Holocaust, but not one for the Armenian Genocide
(recognised as such in France since 2001).
There are half a million French people of Armenian origin in France.
Armenians say that, starting in 1915, the Turks deliberately killed
more than a million people of their ethnicity; however Turkey argues
that both Armenian Christians and Muslim Turks died in intercommunal
violence and there was no systematic plan to eliminate Armenians.
The Connexion
http://connexionfrance.com/Senate-law-Armenian-genocide-13402-view-article.html
Jan 24 2012
France
A BAN on denying that killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire
constituted genocide will be enshrined in French law.
The Senate adopted by 127 votes to 86 a proposed law already passed
by the National Assembly to punish by ~@45,000 and a year in prison
anyone who denies or "minimises in an outrageous manner" "a genocide
recognised by law".
In fact the law only relates to the Armenian Genocide, Holocaust
denial already being offence under a previous one.
Turkey recalled its ambassador from Paris after the bill was passed
by the National Assembly last month and some official visits between
the countries were cancelled.
During the debate both Armenians and pro-Turkish demonstrators massed
outside, kept separate by gendarmes.
Only the left-wing radicals and greens opposed the law en masse,
saying it was not parliament's role to legislate on such matters.
Green senator Esther Benbassa, who lived in Turkey as a child, said:
"This law cobbled together in a rush will not help the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide in Turkey or help bring together the Armenian
and Turkish people".
However supporters of the bill said it was not right there was a law
about the Jewish Holocaust, but not one for the Armenian Genocide
(recognised as such in France since 2001).
There are half a million French people of Armenian origin in France.
Armenians say that, starting in 1915, the Turks deliberately killed
more than a million people of their ethnicity; however Turkey argues
that both Armenian Christians and Muslim Turks died in intercommunal
violence and there was no systematic plan to eliminate Armenians.