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Amal Clooney Armenian Genocide Case: 5 Things To Know About Dogu Per

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  • Amal Clooney Armenian Genocide Case: 5 Things To Know About Dogu Per

    International Business Times
    Jan 28 2015

    Amal Clooney Armenian Genocide Case: 5 Things To Know About DoÄ?u
    Perinçek Hearing

    By Julia Glum

    High-profile human rights lawyer Amal Clooney went up against DoÄ?u
    Perinçek Wednesday in a France court hearing involving the racial
    discrimination case of the Turkish Workers' Party chairman who claimed
    the Armenian genocide never happened. Here are five things you need to
    know about the hearing:

    1. The players: Clooney and Geoffrey Robertson represented Armenia on
    behalf of Doughty Street Chambers, the British law firm they work for.
    "Armenia must have its day in court. The stakes could not be higher
    for the Armenian people," Clooney said, according to the Telegraph.

    The case revolved around Perinçek, who was convicted in 2007 for
    denying the Armenian genocide. The European Court of Human Rights
    overturned that conviction in December on grounds that his right to
    free speech was violated, and Armenia filed an appeal. Turkey was a
    co-defendant in the case.

    2. The background: As many as 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands
    of the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1923, the Associated Press reported.
    Turkey has argued that the death toll was not only exaggerated but
    also a result of civil war -- not genocide.

    Perinçek has said that although there were widespread deaths, they
    don't fall under the legal term "genocide," according to Today's
    Zaman. During a 2005 demonstration in Switzerland, he called the
    incident "an international lie." Denying the genocide is illegal under
    Swiss anti-racism laws. He was arrested and later convicted in 2007.

    Perinçek appealed that decision and won in the European Court of Human
    Rights last December. The court said he was just exercising his right
    to free speech, but this ruling "casts doubt on the reality of
    genocide that the Armenian people suffered a century ago," Clooney
    said Wednesday. Perinçek took an opposing stance, telling the court
    that "we are here for the freedom [of expression] of the people of
    Europe."

    3. The hearing: Wednesday's hearing lasted more than two hours in
    Strasbourg, France. Clooney took the 17-member Grand Chamber through
    Armenia's history and said that the court had neglected to review the
    relevant evidence and witnesses, Today's Zaman reported. About 200
    Perinçek supporters gathered outside. The Grand Chamber will announce
    its decision at a later date.

    4. The implications: The principal issue was freedom of speech in
    Europe, where many countries have criminalized the refusal to
    recognize the Armenian massacres as "genocide," Reuters reported.
    France has faced legal battles in the past three years for adopting a
    law that makes it illegal to deny it.

    Clooney refuted the idea that the hearing was an effort to limit free
    speech. "Armenia is not here to argue against freedom of expression
    any more than Turkey is here to defend it," she said.

    5. The fame: Clooney, who's become famous since marrying American
    actor George Clooney, was surprised by the "rows of paparazzi" in
    court Wednesday, the Telegraph reported. Amal recently made headlines
    for donning white gloves at the Golden Globes, but when asked
    Wednesday what she was wearing, she joked it was barrister's robes.
    `It is not about white gloves or yachts," her colleague Robertson
    said. "It puts the record straight. She is a human rights lawyer."

    http://www.ibtimes.com/amal-clooney-armenian-genocide-case-5-things-know-about-dogu-perincek-hearing-1797548

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