February 10, 2012 - 16:11 AMT
Washington policy on Genocide undermines U.S. morals – journalist

American journalist Tasbeeh Herwees published an article revealing U.S. authorities’ position on the Armenian Genocide recognition.

The article titled “Controversy Over Armenian Genocide Puts U.S. On Shaky Moral Ground” depicts recent developments over adoption of the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial.

“Turkish authorities are already up in arms about the Genocide bill, denouncing the law and threatening France with economic sanctions. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan railed against the bill, calling it “racist” and a threat to free speech.

Egemen Bağış, the Turkish Minister of European Affairs, said the law was “null and void” in Turkey and Turkey’s ambassador to France hinted at his possible “permanent departure” from Paris after the bill was approved in the French Senate.

In the midst of the democratic uprisings raging across the Middle East, Turkey proudly trumpeted the praises of international experts and diplomats who promote it as an example of a democratic Islamic state to future Arab leaderships.

The U.S. in particular has strengthened relations with the Turkish government in recent years. Just last week, President Obama named Turkey among his top five international “friends.” Like most U.S. presidents, Obama made plenty of promises to officially recognize the Genocide once in office to Armenian-American voters. But he has since pandered to Turkish interests by avoiding the Genocide label at all, enabling a horrific tradition of genocide denial,” the article reads.

On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide. If signed into law, the bill will 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.

A Zurich prosecutor on February 6 launched an investigation into remarks by Bağış, after he said in Zurich that there was no Armenian Genocide and that Swiss authorities could arrest him if they wanted to.