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7 July 2012 Last updated at 23:23 GMT
French President Hollande vows new Armenia 'genocide law'
[image: An Armenian woman mourns a dead boy during the deportations in
1915] Armenians say up to 1.5m people were killed by the Ottoman Turks
in 1915-16
French President Francois Hollande has said he plans a new law to punish
denial that the 1915-16 killing of Armenians was genocide.
A previous law approved by the French parliament was struck down in
February by the Constitutional Council, which said it infringed freedom of
speech.
Turkey rejects the term "genocide" for the deaths of Armenians in during
their deportation by the Ottoman Empire.
The issue has strained Franco-Turkish relations in recent years.
Mr Hollande's predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy had also ordered his government
to draft a new law after the old one was struck down.
"Francois Hollande has again expressed his willingness to propose a bill
designed to curb the denial of the Armenian genocide, as he had said during
his campaign and even before," the Coordinating Council of Armenian
Organisations of France (CCAF) told the AFP news agency.
A delegation from the CCAF will meet Mr Hollande before the end of the
month to discuss what form the new law would take, French media reports
say.
On Thursday, remarks by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius during a
meeting with his Turkish counterpart appeared to indicate that the
Constitutional Council's ruling would make it impossible to take up the
issue again.
However, Mr Hollande's office said on Saturday: "The president expressed
his commitments during the campaign. He will keep them.
"We must find a path, a road that allows for a text that is consistent with
the constitution."
Competing
laws
- Both the Holocaust and killing of the Armenians are recognised as acts
of genocide in France
- Denial of the Holocaust is punishable under the 1990 Gayssot law,
which is based on the findings of the Nuremberg Tribunal
- Some legal experts argue that unless the Armenian killings are
formally recognised as an act of genocide by an international commission
their denial cannot be made punishable
- In the absence of international certification, some legal experts
argue the term "Armenian genocide" may be challenged on grounds of freedom
of speech
- French MPs argued they had sufficient authority to legislate both on
acts of genocide and their denial
Tragic bond
The vote on the previous bill in January spurred angry protests in both in
Paris and Ankara. The Turkish government suspended political and military
co-operation with France.
The Turkish government argues that judging what happened in eastern Turkey
in 1915-16 should be left to historians, and that the new French law would
have restricted freedom of speech.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million people died in 1915-16 as the Ottoman empire
split. Turkey has said the number of deaths was much smaller.
The killings are regarded as the seminal event of modern Armenian history,
a tragic bond uniting one of the world's most dispersed peoples.
Among the other states which formally recognise them as genocide are
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Russia and Uruguay. The UK, US,
Israel and others use different terminology.
France is home to an estimated 500,000 ethnic Armenians while about 550,000
Turkish citizens also live in the country.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18758078
French President Hollande vows new Armenia 'genocide law'
[image: An Armenian woman mourns a dead boy during the deportations in
1915] Armenians say up to 1.5m people were killed by the Ottoman Turks
in 1915-16
French President Francois Hollande has said he plans a new law to punish
denial that the 1915-16 killing of Armenians was genocide.
A previous law approved by the French parliament was struck down in
February by the Constitutional Council, which said it infringed freedom of
speech.
Turkey rejects the term "genocide" for the deaths of Armenians in during
their deportation by the Ottoman Empire.
The issue has strained Franco-Turkish relations in recent years.
Mr Hollande's predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy had also ordered his government
to draft a new law after the old one was struck down.
"Francois Hollande has again expressed his willingness to propose a bill
designed to curb the denial of the Armenian genocide, as he had said during
his campaign and even before," the Coordinating Council of Armenian
Organisations of France (CCAF) told the AFP news agency.
A delegation from the CCAF will meet Mr Hollande before the end of the
month to discuss what form the new law would take, French media reports
say.
On Thursday, remarks by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius during a
meeting with his Turkish counterpart appeared to indicate that the
Constitutional Council's ruling would make it impossible to take up the
issue again.
However, Mr Hollande's office said on Saturday: "The president expressed
his commitments during the campaign. He will keep them.
"We must find a path, a road that allows for a text that is consistent with
the constitution."
Competing
laws
- Both the Holocaust and killing of the Armenians are recognised as acts
of genocide in France
- Denial of the Holocaust is punishable under the 1990 Gayssot law,
which is based on the findings of the Nuremberg Tribunal
- Some legal experts argue that unless the Armenian killings are
formally recognised as an act of genocide by an international commission
their denial cannot be made punishable
- In the absence of international certification, some legal experts
argue the term "Armenian genocide" may be challenged on grounds of freedom
of speech
- French MPs argued they had sufficient authority to legislate both on
acts of genocide and their denial
Tragic bond
The vote on the previous bill in January spurred angry protests in both in
Paris and Ankara. The Turkish government suspended political and military
co-operation with France.
The Turkish government argues that judging what happened in eastern Turkey
in 1915-16 should be left to historians, and that the new French law would
have restricted freedom of speech.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million people died in 1915-16 as the Ottoman empire
split. Turkey has said the number of deaths was much smaller.
The killings are regarded as the seminal event of modern Armenian history,
a tragic bond uniting one of the world's most dispersed peoples.
Among the other states which formally recognise them as genocide are
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Russia and Uruguay. The UK, US,
Israel and others use different terminology.
France is home to an estimated 500,000 ethnic Armenians while about 550,000
Turkish citizens also live in the country.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18758078