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Daily Sabah, Turkey
Jan 28 2015
Armenia faces Turkey over genocide denial case
DOGAN NEWS AGENCY
Turkish politician DoÄ?u Perinçek confronted a defense team for Armenia
at a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights yesterday in France
over his denial of the Armenian genocide. The hearing failed to
produce a verdict on whether Perinçek's denial constituted freedom of
expression
The highly anticipated appeal hearing of Switzerland and Armenia's
case versus Turkish opposition politician DoÄ?u Perinçek was held in
Strasbourg, France on Wednesday
Perinçek was convicted by a court in Switzerland, where denying the
Armenian genocide is criminalized, for his remarks branding the
genocide "an international lie" in that country. He argued that the
denial was in line with his freedom of speech and took the case to the
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The court had ruled in his
favor in 2013, but Switzerland appealed the verdict. Armenia had
requested to join the lawsuit as co-plaintiff. The country was
represented by a defense team that includes lawyer Amal Alamuddin
Clooney, better known as the wife of Hollywood superstar George
Clooney.
After hearing the sides, the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR adjourned the
trial to announce its verdict at an unspecified date in the near
future.
Clooney said at the hearing that the lower chamber of the ECtHR had
not taken documents from 1915 into account when it issued the ruling
in favor of Perinçek. She claimed the previous ruling "cast doubt on
the reality of genocide." In the ruling she was referring to the
European court's judges upholding Perinçek's right to question the
genocide, as it was a matter of public interest and did not comment on
the reality of the genocide.
She said that the Ottoman Empire, which signed the Sevres Treaty in
1920 with the Allied powers, had promised to bring the perpetrators of
the killings of Armenians to justice. Mrs. Clooney further went on to
say that Talat PaÅ?a, a senior Ottoman official in World War I, had
admitted to the genocide, citing a New York Times article from that
period that says Talat PaÅ?a, a member of a powerful triumvirate
governing the Ottoman Empire during the war, decided to expel the
Christian community from Turkish territories.
Perinçek countered her claim and said Talat PaÅ?a was not convicted and
neither was he subject to any trial. He went on to say that Britain
had launched an inquiry into allegations of genocide and closed the
case on genocide due to a lack of any tangible evidence.
He said, on the contrary, Talat PaÅ?a worked with the Armenians in the
1908 revolution against the Ottoman sultanate. He cited a book written
by Armenia's first prime minister, Ovanes Katchaznouni, who spoke
about a conversation with Talat PaÅ?a and said PaÅ?a told him they
wanted to resolve any problems between Turks and Armenians in a
peaceful way.
In the events that led to the present case, Perinçek, at various
conferences in Switzerland in 2005, rejected allegations that the
events of 1915 and the following years in the Ottoman Empire amounted
to "genocide" of the Armenian people.
The Switzerland-Armenia Association filed a criminal complaint against
him. Perinçek was tried by the Lausanne Police Court in March 2007. He
was found guilty of racial discrimination and fined.
Many Armenians argue that denying allegations that the events of 1915
constituted "genocide" should be a crime, just as negating the
Holocaust is. In 2003, the National Council of Switzerland, the
country's parliament, recognized the events of 1915 as "genocide."
Turkey officially refutes this description, saying that although
Armenians died during relocations many Turks also lost their lives in
attacks by Armenian gangs.
A Swiss Appeals Court subsequently confirmed Perinçek's sentence.
Perinçek then appealed to the Federal Tribunal, the highest court in
Switzerland, which also confirmed the sentence.
In 2008, Perinçek appealed to the ECtHR in Strasbourg, claiming that
the Swiss courts had violated his rights, including that to freedom of
expression. He demanded compensation of 140,000 euros for moral and
financial damages, as well as court expenses.
Separately, Turkey has called for a joint Armenian-Turkish research
project into the events, making use of the archives in both countries,
to establish the facts.
In April 2014, President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an, who was prime minister
at the time, offered condolences for the Armenian deaths that occurred
in 1915 - a first for a Turkish leader. The move was seen as a
significant step toward a possible reconciliation.
http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2015/01/28/armenia-faces-turkey-over-genocide-denial-case
From: Baghdasarian
Jan 28 2015
Armenia faces Turkey over genocide denial case
DOGAN NEWS AGENCY
Turkish politician DoÄ?u Perinçek confronted a defense team for Armenia
at a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights yesterday in France
over his denial of the Armenian genocide. The hearing failed to
produce a verdict on whether Perinçek's denial constituted freedom of
expression
The highly anticipated appeal hearing of Switzerland and Armenia's
case versus Turkish opposition politician DoÄ?u Perinçek was held in
Strasbourg, France on Wednesday
Perinçek was convicted by a court in Switzerland, where denying the
Armenian genocide is criminalized, for his remarks branding the
genocide "an international lie" in that country. He argued that the
denial was in line with his freedom of speech and took the case to the
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The court had ruled in his
favor in 2013, but Switzerland appealed the verdict. Armenia had
requested to join the lawsuit as co-plaintiff. The country was
represented by a defense team that includes lawyer Amal Alamuddin
Clooney, better known as the wife of Hollywood superstar George
Clooney.
After hearing the sides, the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR adjourned the
trial to announce its verdict at an unspecified date in the near
future.
Clooney said at the hearing that the lower chamber of the ECtHR had
not taken documents from 1915 into account when it issued the ruling
in favor of Perinçek. She claimed the previous ruling "cast doubt on
the reality of genocide." In the ruling she was referring to the
European court's judges upholding Perinçek's right to question the
genocide, as it was a matter of public interest and did not comment on
the reality of the genocide.
She said that the Ottoman Empire, which signed the Sevres Treaty in
1920 with the Allied powers, had promised to bring the perpetrators of
the killings of Armenians to justice. Mrs. Clooney further went on to
say that Talat PaÅ?a, a senior Ottoman official in World War I, had
admitted to the genocide, citing a New York Times article from that
period that says Talat PaÅ?a, a member of a powerful triumvirate
governing the Ottoman Empire during the war, decided to expel the
Christian community from Turkish territories.
Perinçek countered her claim and said Talat PaÅ?a was not convicted and
neither was he subject to any trial. He went on to say that Britain
had launched an inquiry into allegations of genocide and closed the
case on genocide due to a lack of any tangible evidence.
He said, on the contrary, Talat PaÅ?a worked with the Armenians in the
1908 revolution against the Ottoman sultanate. He cited a book written
by Armenia's first prime minister, Ovanes Katchaznouni, who spoke
about a conversation with Talat PaÅ?a and said PaÅ?a told him they
wanted to resolve any problems between Turks and Armenians in a
peaceful way.
In the events that led to the present case, Perinçek, at various
conferences in Switzerland in 2005, rejected allegations that the
events of 1915 and the following years in the Ottoman Empire amounted
to "genocide" of the Armenian people.
The Switzerland-Armenia Association filed a criminal complaint against
him. Perinçek was tried by the Lausanne Police Court in March 2007. He
was found guilty of racial discrimination and fined.
Many Armenians argue that denying allegations that the events of 1915
constituted "genocide" should be a crime, just as negating the
Holocaust is. In 2003, the National Council of Switzerland, the
country's parliament, recognized the events of 1915 as "genocide."
Turkey officially refutes this description, saying that although
Armenians died during relocations many Turks also lost their lives in
attacks by Armenian gangs.
A Swiss Appeals Court subsequently confirmed Perinçek's sentence.
Perinçek then appealed to the Federal Tribunal, the highest court in
Switzerland, which also confirmed the sentence.
In 2008, Perinçek appealed to the ECtHR in Strasbourg, claiming that
the Swiss courts had violated his rights, including that to freedom of
expression. He demanded compensation of 140,000 euros for moral and
financial damages, as well as court expenses.
Separately, Turkey has called for a joint Armenian-Turkish research
project into the events, making use of the archives in both countries,
to establish the facts.
In April 2014, President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an, who was prime minister
at the time, offered condolences for the Armenian deaths that occurred
in 1915 - a first for a Turkish leader. The move was seen as a
significant step toward a possible reconciliation.
http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2015/01/28/armenia-faces-turkey-over-genocide-denial-case
From: Baghdasarian