Armenian community to organize protest action at French Senate on May 18

May 15, 2010 - 18:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - French-Armenians will hold a protest action at the French Senate on May 18 to demand from senators that they approve the draft law foreseeing criminal liability for the Armenian Genocide denial.

The event is initiated by the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF), member of the Armenian community of France Asbed Harmandayan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

On October 12, 2006, the French National Assembly adopted a draft law foreseeing criminal liability for denial of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. To put the draft law into effect, it should be approved by the French Senate and signed by President. The draft law foresees 1-year imprisonment or fine at the amount of 45,000 euros.

Armenians have repeatedly faced the problem of the Armenian Genocide denial at educational institutions of France.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.