French Armenians protest against rejection of bill on criminalization of Genocide denial

On May 4, hundreds of people held a demonstration in front of the French Senate in Paris in support of the bill assuming criminal liability for denial of the Armenian Genocide. The action was attended by about 500 persons.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the members of the Council of Armenian Organizations of France told about their intention to hold a rally in support of the bill at their meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The writer Bernard Henri-Levy and singer Charles Aznavour were among the demonstrators; then they went into the Senate, where the bill was discussed.

The demonstrators waved Armenian and French flags. Their posters read: "Senate, don't succumb to pressure: negation is not the freedom of expression," the "Russie.net" reports.

When speaking to the demonstrators, Guy Fisher, Deputy Chairman of the Senate and Senator from Rhone, said that "the Parliament has remained at half-way after enactment of the law in 2001 (which recognizes the Armenian Genocide). He said while bearing in mind that law of 2001: "Of course, I voted with great enthusiasm for this law," he continued. "However, it has symbolic value but no legal implications. We should introduce criminal punishment."

The bill offered to sentence to 1 year of imprisonment and fine of 45,000 euros for contesting the fact of the Armenian Genocide. It was brought in by Serge Lagoche, Senator-Socialist from Val de Marne and his 30 fellow socialists under a persistent request of Martine Aubry, the first secretary of their party.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the bill was rejected.

The Senators voted for the motion, which declares the text "unacceptable" as regards to the Constitution, which is equivalent to its rejection.

The Armenian community of France is deeply disappointed by the decision of the Senate; however, they intend to continue their struggle against the policy of denial of Genocide, says the website of the Public Television of Armenia.

"I'm outraged with the speech of the chairman of the commission on legislative activities (Jean-Jacques Iest, UMP); and I'm indignant with the speech of Socialist Charles Gauthier. There's a kind of cynicism in nation representatives' support of the state policy of negation," said Levy in the sidelines of the Senate, where he was present at discussion of the bill.

The famous French singer of Armenian origin Charles Aznavour expressed his surprise at Senators' position on the Armenian Genocide. "Is it possible that in France, where our parents have found shelter and escaped murder, now their grandchildren experienced the dangerous policy full of hate..," the "News-Armenia" quotes the singer.

According to experts-turcologists, French lawmakers chose not to spoil relations with Turkey, which is extremely sensitive about this subject.

In recent years, relations between Turkey and France were quite tense, and the bill that criminalizes the denial of the Armenian Genocide could still worsen them, said turcologist Ruben Melkonyan, the "PanARMENIAN.Net" reports.

First comments of politicians are already arriving. Eduard Sharmazanov, secretary of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, expressed his regret with the decision of the French Senate to reject the bill that offered to criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide.