France will recognize legitimacy of Genocide denial – expert

March 24, 2012 – 15:30 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – If France doesn’t adopt the bill criminalizing the
Armenian Genocide denial, it will automatically recognize the
legitimacy of negating such an atrocity, according to Armenian
political analyst.

Alexander Manasyan urged France and international community to address
the issue of penalizing Genocide negation from this perspective.

On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the
Armenian Genocide denial with 127 votes for and 86 against. If signed
into law by the President, the bill would 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.

The French Constitutional Council ruled that a bill recently adopted
by the French Senate making it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide
was anti-constitutional.

In a statement the Council said the bill adopted by parliament on
January 23 represented an `unconstitutional breach of the practice of
freedom of expression and communication.’

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress