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Associated Press International
January 28, 2015 Wednesday 5:15 PM GMT
Amal Clooney on legal team in Armenian genocide case
STRASBOURG, France
STRASBOURG, France (AP) - Lawyer Amal Clooney went before Europe's top
human rights court Wednesday to argue against a man convicted of
denying the 1915 Armenian genocide.
Clooney is representing Armenia as part of an appeal before the
Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in favor
of the man, Dogu Perincek, in December 2013.
Perincek believes his right to free speech was violated when Swiss
courts convicted him of racism for denying the genocide in 2005. He
described the genocide as "an international lie."
Clooney said the "most important error" of the court's 2013 ruling in
favor of Perincek was that "it cast doubt on the reality of the
Armenian genocide."
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by
genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey,
however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has
been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and
unrest.
The court said its decision would be made at a later date.
Amal Clooney, who married actor George Clooney last year, has also
argued on behalf of Greece for the return of the so-far unsuccessful
campaign to reclaim the Parthenon Sculptures from Britain.
January 28, 2015 Wednesday 5:15 PM GMT
Amal Clooney on legal team in Armenian genocide case
STRASBOURG, France
STRASBOURG, France (AP) - Lawyer Amal Clooney went before Europe's top
human rights court Wednesday to argue against a man convicted of
denying the 1915 Armenian genocide.
Clooney is representing Armenia as part of an appeal before the
Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in favor
of the man, Dogu Perincek, in December 2013.
Perincek believes his right to free speech was violated when Swiss
courts convicted him of racism for denying the genocide in 2005. He
described the genocide as "an international lie."
Clooney said the "most important error" of the court's 2013 ruling in
favor of Perincek was that "it cast doubt on the reality of the
Armenian genocide."
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by
genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey,
however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has
been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and
unrest.
The court said its decision would be made at a later date.
Amal Clooney, who married actor George Clooney last year, has also
argued on behalf of Greece for the return of the so-far unsuccessful
campaign to reclaim the Parthenon Sculptures from Britain.