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FRANCE WAITS FOR ECHR ON 'GENOCIDE' BILL
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 14 2014
Arzu Cakır Morin YEREVAN
France will wait for a final decision from the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) before reintroducing a bill criminalizing the denial of
the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as genocide, President Francois
Hollande said May 12.
In 2012, France's Constitutional Council struck down a
government-backed law criminalizing denials of the 1915 events as
genocide on the grounds that it contradicted the French Constitution.
And late last year, the ECHR ruled that denial of the 1915 mass
killings of Armenians as genocide falls within the limits of freedom
of expression, following an appeal from a Turkish politician against
his conviction in Switzerland. The decision was referred to the ECHR's
Grand Chamber by the Swiss Justice Ministry for the final ruling.
Speaking to a group of reporters during a visit to Yerevan, Hollande
said they would wait for the final decision of the ECHR and that the
law should be compatible with the Constitutional Council.
Workers' Party (İP) Chairman Dogu Perincek, who had described the
Armenian genocide as an "international lie," had complained that Swiss
courts had breached his freedom of expression, based on Article 10
covering freedom of expression.
The ECHR ruling stated that "the free exercise of the right to openly
discuss questions of a sensitive and controversial nature is one of
the fundamental aspects of freedom of expression and distinguishes
a tolerant and pluralistic democratic society from a totalitarian or
dictatorial regime."
Elaborating on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent statement
in which he offered condolences to the families of more than 1 million
Armenians who were massacred during World War I, Hollande said the
gesture was an advance but not enough, calling on Turkey to recognize
the killings as genocide and suggested that the recognition would
"unite, not divide."
May/13/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/france-waits-for-echr-on-genocide-bill.aspx?pageID=238&nID=66426&NewsCatID=351
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 14 2014
Arzu Cakır Morin YEREVAN
France will wait for a final decision from the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) before reintroducing a bill criminalizing the denial of
the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as genocide, President Francois
Hollande said May 12.
In 2012, France's Constitutional Council struck down a
government-backed law criminalizing denials of the 1915 events as
genocide on the grounds that it contradicted the French Constitution.
And late last year, the ECHR ruled that denial of the 1915 mass
killings of Armenians as genocide falls within the limits of freedom
of expression, following an appeal from a Turkish politician against
his conviction in Switzerland. The decision was referred to the ECHR's
Grand Chamber by the Swiss Justice Ministry for the final ruling.
Speaking to a group of reporters during a visit to Yerevan, Hollande
said they would wait for the final decision of the ECHR and that the
law should be compatible with the Constitutional Council.
Workers' Party (İP) Chairman Dogu Perincek, who had described the
Armenian genocide as an "international lie," had complained that Swiss
courts had breached his freedom of expression, based on Article 10
covering freedom of expression.
The ECHR ruling stated that "the free exercise of the right to openly
discuss questions of a sensitive and controversial nature is one of
the fundamental aspects of freedom of expression and distinguishes
a tolerant and pluralistic democratic society from a totalitarian or
dictatorial regime."
Elaborating on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent statement
in which he offered condolences to the families of more than 1 million
Armenians who were massacred during World War I, Hollande said the
gesture was an advance but not enough, calling on Turkey to recognize
the killings as genocide and suggested that the recognition would
"unite, not divide."
May/13/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/france-waits-for-echr-on-genocide-bill.aspx?pageID=238&nID=66426&NewsCatID=351