Armenian genocide: Green MEPs appeal for French bill on Armenian genocide to be withdrawn

In advance of the anticipated vote in the French parliament tomorrow on a bill criminalising the denial of the existence of the Armenian genocide, the Greens in the European Parliament have sent an open letter to French deputies calling for the withdrawal of the bill. Commenting on the letter, Greens/EFA Co-President Dany Cohn-Bendit said:

"We are appealing to French deputies to use their sense of reason and withdraw this bill. If the intention is to promote the freedom of expression and meaningful debate on Turkish history, this bill must be scrapped as it will have the opposite effect. The bill would further strengthen the hand of those working to undermine the reform process in Turkey and be a major setback to efforts in Turkey and EU to promote democratisation."

Green MEPs Joost Lagendijk (chair of the Turkey delegation in the European Parliament) and Cem Özdemir added:

"The European Parliament has been to the fore in the EU's efforts to push for reforms in Turkey, particularly with regard to the freedom of expression, however the proposed bill is counter productive, if not hypocritical: it too would suppress freedom of expression. Anyone challenging the official French position on the Armenian genocide could be jailed in exactly the same manner as under the Turkish Article 301, which has been used to prosecute those denying the official Turkish position. How can a Member State purporting to defend EU values curtail fundamental freedoms?"

On 26 September a resolution of the European Parliament was approved by a large majority that includes a paragraph saying that recognition of the Armenian genocide is not a condition for Turkish accession to the EU.

Source: www.greens-efa.org/cms/pressreleases/dok/151/151221.armenian_genocide@en.htm