French Senate to hold subsequent votes on Genocide bill

 January 23, 2012 - 21:23 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Following Senator Sophie Joissains' statement on the bill penalizing Armenian Genocide denial, there will be several votes on the French Senate floor.

The first vote will be regarding the Senate legal committee's vote last week against the measure.

In this case, a NO VOTE is in SUPPORT of the law criminalizing Genocide denial. There will then be a series of votes on amendments to the measure, and finally a vote on the main law criminalizing Genocide denial.

Constitutional Commission of the French Senate passed a decision against debating of the bill criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial, accepting Senators’ solicitation that oppose the aforesaid legislation. The proposal on rejection of the bill was adopted with 23 votes for, 9 against and 8 abstentions. The decision stipulates debate of the draft law by the Senate, considering the proposal of the Commission prior to the overall voting.

On December 22, 2011, French National Assembly passed a bill criminalizing public denial of the Armenian Genocide. If passed and signed into law by the Senate, the bill would impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.