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Petition asking Switzerland to appeal the ECHR judgment on Armenian
Genocide denier
12:23 07.01.2014
In the struggle against the Turkish denial, the Coordination Council
of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) has decided to launch a
petition asking Switzerland to appeal the judgment of the European
Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which found that the ultra-nationalist
Dogu Perinçek, president of the Workers' Party of Turkey could not be
condemned for saying publicly in Geneva in 2007, the `so-called
Armenian genocide is an imperialist lie'. This is in compliance with
the Freedom of Expression according to Article 10. The petition posted
on Change.org reads:
Denialism: Petition against the rogue decision of the European Court
of Human Rights
In a decision of 17 December 2013, which will remain an absolute
disgrace in the history of the European Court of Human Rights, this
jurisdiction which has never so little deserved its name, decided to
give reason to Dogu Perincek, the zealous and determined denier of the
Armenian Genocide by proposing to condemn Switzerland for its
infringement of freedom of expression!
Co-founder of the Talaat Committee (the Turkish `Hitler'), a backroom
created by Ankara to export the denialist theses of Turkey to Europe
and beyond, Dogu Perincek had appealed against a decision pronounced
by the Swiss courts, fining him twice for his denialist statements.
At present imprisoned in Turkey for taking part in the attempted coup
by the Ergenekon organisation (which did not prevent Ankara from
defending him before the ECHR in this particular case), Dogu Pericenk
had indeed claimed that the `Armenian Genocide' was an `international
lie' at a series of meetings in Switzerland.
These statements, offensive against the memory of the victims and
defamatory against their descendants, were condemned under the Swiss
law on the repression of denialism. The European Court of Human
Rights, to which he had appealed, is therefore considering condemning
Switzerland, in the name of an inconsequential reading of the freedom
of expression and a restrictive interpretation of human dignity. This
jurisdiction, in a judgement that is just as irresponsible as it is
grotesque, thus gave its support to the denialist propaganda on the
Armenian Genocide. And this in accordance with the following arguments
: 1) There would not be any consensus on the facts since only about
twenty of the 190 States have recognised them (whereas the
international community of historians having seriously dealt with this
issue is unanimous on their qualification as genocide and that a
number of lobbies, including that of the Turkish government, repeat
that it is not for the Parliaments to legislate on history...). 2) There
has not been any international judgement qualifying them (whereas the
Treaty of Sèvres signed in 1920 by the European Powers provided for
the Judgement of the persons responsible for this crime against
humanity, treaty replaced in 1923 by that of Lausanne in which these
same European Powers, in an attitude typical of Munich before its
time, were to abandon any idea of rendering Justice to the Arminian
people in the name of new relations with Kemalist Turkey). 3) The
notion of genocide would remain unclear and therefore offer scope for
debate (whereas the crime of genocide is clearly established by the
Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court and that
the very concept of genocide was forged by Raphaël Lemkin, starting
precisely from the extermination of the Armenians of the Ottoman
Empire).
At one year from the commemorations for the hundredth anniversary of
this crime against humanity, as it was named on 24 May 1915 by France,
England and Russia at a time when the word genocide had not yet been
created, the ECHR has just assassinated the one and a half million
victims of the `Young Turk' government for the second time. And this
following an unfair trial in which only the Turkish party was able to
plead, while the Arminian party and those who defend its universal
just cause were not invited to the proceedings.
Switzerland, which, in addition, decided on 10 October to reinforce
its strategic partnership with Turkey, has until 17 March to lodge an
appeal against this unfair judgement which, in sentencing it, also
opens the road to an unbridled propagation of denialism.
Through this petition, we should like to call on the Swiss authorities
to lodge an appeal against this judgement before the Grand Chamber of
the ECHR and, in so doing, allow an open debate to be held and a fair
trial on a essential issue for our times and our European identity, by
giving other States, including France, the possibility of being heard.
Furthermore, such an appeal would allow the Arminian party, excluded
from the hearing until now, to be equally represented with Turkey,
which would bring a minimum balance to this `justice' which, until
now, has only been based on one side of the scales.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/01/07/petition-asking-switzerland-to-appeal-the-echr-judgment-on-armenian-genocide-denier/
Genocide denier
12:23 07.01.2014
In the struggle against the Turkish denial, the Coordination Council
of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) has decided to launch a
petition asking Switzerland to appeal the judgment of the European
Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which found that the ultra-nationalist
Dogu Perinçek, president of the Workers' Party of Turkey could not be
condemned for saying publicly in Geneva in 2007, the `so-called
Armenian genocide is an imperialist lie'. This is in compliance with
the Freedom of Expression according to Article 10. The petition posted
on Change.org reads:
Denialism: Petition against the rogue decision of the European Court
of Human Rights
In a decision of 17 December 2013, which will remain an absolute
disgrace in the history of the European Court of Human Rights, this
jurisdiction which has never so little deserved its name, decided to
give reason to Dogu Perincek, the zealous and determined denier of the
Armenian Genocide by proposing to condemn Switzerland for its
infringement of freedom of expression!
Co-founder of the Talaat Committee (the Turkish `Hitler'), a backroom
created by Ankara to export the denialist theses of Turkey to Europe
and beyond, Dogu Perincek had appealed against a decision pronounced
by the Swiss courts, fining him twice for his denialist statements.
At present imprisoned in Turkey for taking part in the attempted coup
by the Ergenekon organisation (which did not prevent Ankara from
defending him before the ECHR in this particular case), Dogu Pericenk
had indeed claimed that the `Armenian Genocide' was an `international
lie' at a series of meetings in Switzerland.
These statements, offensive against the memory of the victims and
defamatory against their descendants, were condemned under the Swiss
law on the repression of denialism. The European Court of Human
Rights, to which he had appealed, is therefore considering condemning
Switzerland, in the name of an inconsequential reading of the freedom
of expression and a restrictive interpretation of human dignity. This
jurisdiction, in a judgement that is just as irresponsible as it is
grotesque, thus gave its support to the denialist propaganda on the
Armenian Genocide. And this in accordance with the following arguments
: 1) There would not be any consensus on the facts since only about
twenty of the 190 States have recognised them (whereas the
international community of historians having seriously dealt with this
issue is unanimous on their qualification as genocide and that a
number of lobbies, including that of the Turkish government, repeat
that it is not for the Parliaments to legislate on history...). 2) There
has not been any international judgement qualifying them (whereas the
Treaty of Sèvres signed in 1920 by the European Powers provided for
the Judgement of the persons responsible for this crime against
humanity, treaty replaced in 1923 by that of Lausanne in which these
same European Powers, in an attitude typical of Munich before its
time, were to abandon any idea of rendering Justice to the Arminian
people in the name of new relations with Kemalist Turkey). 3) The
notion of genocide would remain unclear and therefore offer scope for
debate (whereas the crime of genocide is clearly established by the
Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court and that
the very concept of genocide was forged by Raphaël Lemkin, starting
precisely from the extermination of the Armenians of the Ottoman
Empire).
At one year from the commemorations for the hundredth anniversary of
this crime against humanity, as it was named on 24 May 1915 by France,
England and Russia at a time when the word genocide had not yet been
created, the ECHR has just assassinated the one and a half million
victims of the `Young Turk' government for the second time. And this
following an unfair trial in which only the Turkish party was able to
plead, while the Arminian party and those who defend its universal
just cause were not invited to the proceedings.
Switzerland, which, in addition, decided on 10 October to reinforce
its strategic partnership with Turkey, has until 17 March to lodge an
appeal against this unfair judgement which, in sentencing it, also
opens the road to an unbridled propagation of denialism.
Through this petition, we should like to call on the Swiss authorities
to lodge an appeal against this judgement before the Grand Chamber of
the ECHR and, in so doing, allow an open debate to be held and a fair
trial on a essential issue for our times and our European identity, by
giving other States, including France, the possibility of being heard.
Furthermore, such an appeal would allow the Arminian party, excluded
from the hearing until now, to be equally represented with Turkey,
which would bring a minimum balance to this `justice' which, until
now, has only been based on one side of the scales.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/01/07/petition-asking-switzerland-to-appeal-the-echr-judgment-on-armenian-genocide-denier/