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Category: Armenian Question

“The great Turk is governing in peace twenty nations from different religions. Turks have taught to Christians how to be moderate in peace and gentle in victory.”Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary

Thousands of Turks gather in Paris to protest genocide bill

PARIS – Anatolia News Agency

Thousands of people gathered in the French capital to protest a bill that penalizes rejection of Armenian genocide claims today.

Nearly 35,000 Turks living in France and other European countries gathered despite rain and cold weather to shun the bill .

The bill is seto to come to the French Senate floor Monday Jan. 23 when members of the Senate could vote to uphold a parliamentary committee decision against the proposed law and drop the bill without debate.

Protesters carried French, Turkish, Algerian and Azerbaijani flags and chanted slogans urging senator to act against the legislation.

“I have been living in France for fifty years and I haven’t seen so many Turks got together. Turks in Europe for the first time had the chance to raise a strong voice against an injustice done to them,” Demir Önger, head of a Paris-based Turkish culture association said.

A bill proposed by the ruling party penalizes the rejection of Armenian genocide claims in France with a 45,000 euro fine a and one year in jail.

A similar bill — proposed by the Socialist Party — was approved in 2006 by the lower house but the Senate rejected to debate the bill in May 2011.

January 21, 2012
Sign the petition for Khojaly Massacre

Responsible department: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

On the 26th February Azerbaijan mourns the 20th Anniversary of one of the darkest days in its history. On this day in 1992 Armenian military forces brutally murdered 613 civilian inhabitants of the town of Khojaly in the illegally occupied region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Twenty years after this fateful day we remember those who died during events which led up to the illegal occupation of around 18% of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory, which still continues to this day in direct contravention of four UN Security Council Resolutions. We the undersigned urge the Prime Minister to condemn this shocking act and the continuing Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories which prevents the survivors from returning to their homes.

Sign the petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/27069

January 21, 2012
French Legislators oppose Armenian genocide bill

The Associated Press

PARIS — A Senate panel says it would be unconstitutional for France to make it illegal to deny that the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago constituted genocide.

Relations between France and Turkey have soured since the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, passed such a bill last month and sent it to the Senate.

The Senate’s Commission of Laws voted Wednesday that such a law, if passed, would violate constitutional protections, notably freedom of speech. The vote was 23 Senators for and 9 against, with 8 abstentions.

The panel vote — a nonbinding recommendation — was the first legislative setback for the controversial bill. The measure goes to the full Senate for debate on Monday.

January 18, 2012
Turkey’s arguments against Genocide bill untenable

YEREVAN.- Turkey’s arguments against adoption of a Genocide bill by the French Senate are untenable, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told journalists on Monday.

“The arguments presented by the Turkish side are weak, to put it mildly,” he said. According to him, the Turkish side states adoption of the bill can hamper normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. However, the major obstacle is Turkey’s position.

Moreover, Turkey’s arguments on economic interests and interconnection between the bill and Ankara’s possible role in the region are hints at corruption, not only blackmail.

French parliament adopted on December 22 a bill criminalizing genocide denials, including the Armenian Genocide. The bill will be debated by French Senate on January 23.

via Turkey’s arguments against Genocide bill untenable – Armenian FM | Armenia News – NEWS.am.

January 17, 2012
Turkish schools not to include question on Armenians’ ‘cruelties’ in exam questionnaires

ANKARA. – The question on Armenians’ ‘cruelties’ is not included in the Turkish schools exam questionnaires due to numerous complaints.

The question offending Armenians, sent by National Education department of Bakirkoy district in Istanbul, was not included in the school exam questionnaires, Turkish Vatan reports.

Former head of the Confederation of Public Workers’ Unions (KESK) Sami Evren who was present at the exam opposed expressions containing racism and discrimination and left the school. He stated it is not right to hold exam containing such questions.

“It is not only wrong to speak about documents on ‘cruelties perpetrated by the Armenians’ but also address schoolchildren with such question. It is equal to the expression ‘you have perpetrated cruelties’. What would a Turkish student feel if he was called ‘Turk barbarian’ in German school?” he wonders.

via Turkish schools not to include question on Armenians’ ‘cruelties’ in exam questionnaires | Armenia News – NEWS.am.

January 15, 2012
Another headache for Turkey

Forum of Armenian Unions in Europe (FAUE) informs that chairman of the Slovakian Supreme Court, former deputy minister and Minister of Justice Stefan Harabin met the chairman of the FAUE Ashot Grigoryan and handed him a letter which especially says:

“As I have already announced while I was the Minister of Justice, we managed to approve a law about the denial of Armenian Genocide. According to the law Genocide, racism, Holocaust and communism are the crimes against humanity and one who justifies or denies them must be sentenced with five years if it is done deliberately. If the announcement is made accidentally, then the person must be sentenced with three years. This law has worked inSlovakiasince September, 2009.

So Slovakia is the first county in the EU which accepted the law about criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial and is the second country in Europe afterSwitzerlandwhich accepted this law. I am really surprised that Turkey now makes such noise around the resolution discussed by French Senate.Turkey made noise when Slovakia and Switzerland accepted such laws but the noise did not give any result then as well.

I apply to the President of French Senate and to the Senate members and announce that this law has a great importance. I think that Slovakian President will joint French President and will apply to the EU member countries to accept this law. I will also apply to the members of Slovakian National Council to assist French Senate to approve the bill. We will share our experience with the EU parliamentarians to struggle against Turkish denial of Armenian Genocide.

Stefan Harabin, 09.01.2012, Bratislava, Slovakia”.Ashot Grigoryan informs that before Slovakia accepted the law Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Turkish Embassy in Slovakia made great efforts to demontage the monument devoted to the victims of Armenian Genocide in the center of Bratislava. But afterSlovakiaaccepted law on criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial no Turk official has tried to do anything on this issue.

Remind that on December 22 French National Assembly accepted the draft on criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial which defines a year arrest and fine of 45.000 Euros for those who will deny Armenian Genocide. The draft will be discussed at French Senate on January 23. If it is approved it will be presented to the French President to be signed.

Turkish sources announced before that French President is going to offer all EU countries to accept such a law.

Turkeystarted a large campaign againstFrance, but no significant results are seen yet.

via Another headache for Turkey.

January 12, 2012