Armenians of France urge Senate to adopt bill criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial

May 19, 2010 - 14:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Around 600 Armenians gathered in front of the French Senate to urge MPs and senators to approve the bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide.

Ara Toranian, new co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF), and ARF Dashnaktsutyun member Mourad Papazian called on the Armenian community to stand consolidated so that France meets its commitments and halts the danger of the Turkish policy of denial. They voiced hope that the bill will be adopted by the yearend, freelance French journalist Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net

If passed, the bill envisages a year of imprisonment and a 45-thousand euro fine.

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.