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Swiss Info, Switzerland
March 14 2014
Turkish anger as Swiss appeal Perinçek decision
Switzerland's decision to head back to the courts over the case of the
Turkish nationalist DoÄ?u Perinçek, has attracted public criticism from
Turkey. Switzerland fined Perinçek in 2007, after he denied the 1915
Armenian genocide in a speech in Lausanne.
The case eventually ended up at the European Court of Human Rights in
2013; where it was ruled that Switzerland had violated the ex-head of
the left-wing Turkish Workers' Party's right to free speech.
The Swiss Justice ministry said on Tuesday it was appealing the
decision and will refer it to the Grand Chamber of the Court of Human
Rights.
In response, the Turkish Foreign ministry said in a statement that
they expect the appeal to fail and the judgment in favour of freedom
of expression to be upheld. They added, that they `believe that the
efforts to politicise the law will be aborted once again'.
Opposing views
In his 2005 speech, Perinçek called the genocide an `international
lie'. The Armenians however, say Ottoman Turks slaughtered up to 1.8
million Armenians in a planned genocide between 1915 and 1918. Turkey
denies the mass killings were genocide, saying the death toll is
inflated.
Switzerland has anti-racism laws in place that legislate against any
denying, belittling or justifying of genocide. In 2007 it was decided
at the Federal Court that the facts of the 1915 Armenian Genocide were
widely accepted as common knowledge and that denial of these facts was
driven by racist motives.
The overturning of this verdict by the Court of Human Rights brought a
difference in opinion over anti-racism laws into the spotlight, with
some arguing the implementation had gone too far, while others argued
a decision by a foreign judge had upset laws voted on by the Swiss
people.
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Turkish_anger_as_Swiss_appeal_Perincek_decision.ht ml?cid=38167380
March 14 2014
Turkish anger as Swiss appeal Perinçek decision
Switzerland's decision to head back to the courts over the case of the
Turkish nationalist DoÄ?u Perinçek, has attracted public criticism from
Turkey. Switzerland fined Perinçek in 2007, after he denied the 1915
Armenian genocide in a speech in Lausanne.
The case eventually ended up at the European Court of Human Rights in
2013; where it was ruled that Switzerland had violated the ex-head of
the left-wing Turkish Workers' Party's right to free speech.
The Swiss Justice ministry said on Tuesday it was appealing the
decision and will refer it to the Grand Chamber of the Court of Human
Rights.
In response, the Turkish Foreign ministry said in a statement that
they expect the appeal to fail and the judgment in favour of freedom
of expression to be upheld. They added, that they `believe that the
efforts to politicise the law will be aborted once again'.
Opposing views
In his 2005 speech, Perinçek called the genocide an `international
lie'. The Armenians however, say Ottoman Turks slaughtered up to 1.8
million Armenians in a planned genocide between 1915 and 1918. Turkey
denies the mass killings were genocide, saying the death toll is
inflated.
Switzerland has anti-racism laws in place that legislate against any
denying, belittling or justifying of genocide. In 2007 it was decided
at the Federal Court that the facts of the 1915 Armenian Genocide were
widely accepted as common knowledge and that denial of these facts was
driven by racist motives.
The overturning of this verdict by the Court of Human Rights brought a
difference in opinion over anti-racism laws into the spotlight, with
some arguing the implementation had gone too far, while others argued
a decision by a foreign judge had upset laws voted on by the Swiss
people.
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Turkish_anger_as_Swiss_appeal_Perincek_decision.ht ml?cid=38167380