- 19 Oct 2006 01:08
#1005618
NY Times wrote:French Pass Bill That Punishes Denial of Armenian Genocide
Thomas Crampton, International Herald Tribune, Oct. 12, 2006
The National Assembly, defying appeals from Turkey, approved legislation Thursday that would make it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey during and after World War I were genocide.
The legislation, which was criticized by Turkey’s government and some European Union officials, could further complicate talks for Turkey’s admission to the Union.
With 106 deputies voting in favor and 19 against, the law sets fines of up to 45,000 euros, or about $56,000, and a year in prison for denying the genocide. Of the 577 members of the Assembly, 4 abstained and 448 did not vote at all, raising the question of whether there would be enough political will to push the law through the Senate.
Scholars and most Western governments have recognized the killing of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1919 as genocide. But the subject is still taboo in Turkey, and charges have been pressed against writers and others who have brought attention to the genocide, including Orhan Pamuk, who was just awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.
“The Turkish people refuse the limitation of freedom of expression on the basis of groundless claims,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “With this draft law, France unfortunately loses its privileged status in the eyes of Turkish public opinion.”
Ali Babacan, the Turkish economy minister and the country’s lead negotiator on talks with Europe, said he could not rule out consequences for French companies.
“What happened in France today, we believe, is not in line with the core values of the European Union,” Mr. Babacan said, adding that the government would not encourage a boycott of French goods.
In Brussels, the European Union warned that the law could have a harmful effect on negotiations. “It would prohibit dialogue which is necessary for reconciliation on the issue,” said Krisztina Nagy, a spokeswoman for the Union. “It is not up to law to write history. Historians need to have debate.”
Turkey’s potential membership in the European Union has been a hot political topic here ahead of the presidential elections next spring. The leading candidates to succeed President Jacques Chirac, including Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal, have agreed that Turkey must acknowledge the genocide before gaining membership. But the new legislation has been more of a campaign issue in France, which has one of Europe’s largest Armenian populations.
Although most of France’s top politicians supported the European Union’s planned constitution, the French rejected it last year in a referendum that was also seen as a vote against further European expansion. The problem for politicians seeking to succeed Mr. Chirac is how to oppose Turkish entry without taking on the xenophobic tones of the far right.
After the vote, Mr. Chirac’s government, which opposed the legislation, expressed eagerness for dialogue with Turkey and said the bill was unnecessary and inopportune. “We are very committed to dialogue with Turkey, as well as to the strong ties of friendship and cooperation which link us to that country,” said Jean-Baptiste Mattéi, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
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Swissinfo.org wrote:Blocher Insists On Revised Anti-Racism Law-----------
SwissInfo.org, Oct.6, 2006
Swiss Justice Minister Christoph Blocher says he is intent on revising Switzerland's anti-racism law, confirming comments he made in Turkey earlier this week.
Blocher's original remarks, made in Ankara, caused an uproar in Switzerland among politicians and the media. The cabinet is to discuss the minister's statement soon.
Speaking in Zurich on Friday, Blocher said he was surprised by the criticism he faced back home after making his comments. He added that what bothered him in the legislation was the "tense relationship" between freedom of speech and anti-racism legislation.
Freedom of expression was essential to democracy, affirmed the minister. "I want people to be able to express themselves in Switzerland, even if their opinion doesn't appeal to everyone," he added.
During his trip to Turkey, Blocher had remarked that part of the anti-racism law - adopted in 1994 and including sections aimed at preventing revisionist views about the Holocaust - gave him a "headache".
The law has led to investigations against two Turks, including a historian, in Switzerland for allegedly denying the 1915 Armenian massacre.
Blocher said a working group at his ministry was re-examining the law, in particular article 261bis, adding that it was up to the government, parliament and possibly the population, to decide on any changes.
Blocher said on Friday that he had not many any promises to the Turkish government on the matter.
Armenians say around 1.8 million of their people were killed in the massacre. Turkey disputes this, putting the figure closer to 200,000. Under Swiss law any act of denying, belittling or justifying genocide is a violation of the country's anti-racism legislation.
Storm of protest
Blocher's comments unleashed a storm of protest in Switzerland. On Thursday Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin said that the justice minister's remarks were "unacceptable".
For his part, President Moritz Leuenberger said he was surprised, adding that the cabinet would discuss the issues arising from Blocher's comments.
Three of the main political parties in government have also condemned the remarks. Blocher's own rightwing Swiss People's Party has so far declined to comment.
However, the House of Representatives, which has just ended its autumn parliamentary session, has decided against debating on the issue.
Several political commentators have called the comments provocative and have questioned whether the anti-racism law, voted on by the population, could be changed.
Marcel Niggli, professor of law of Fribourg University, told swissinfo that it was strange that Blocher should have made the remarks during a trip abroad and that he should have defended and not criticised the law.
Blocher said that on the whole the trip has been positive and that his Turkish counterpart Cemil Cicek had assured him that he was ready to create a commission made up of historians from different countries that would have access to Turkish and Armenian archives.