SWISS ARMENIANS SEEK LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST TURKISH MINISTER
PanARMENIAN.Net
April 17, 2012 – 11:34 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian community demands that the Swiss authorities
do file a criminal case against Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Egemen
Bagis who publicly denied the Armenian Genocide in the country.
Secretary General of the Switzerland-Armenia parliamentary friendship
group Sarkis Shahinian addressed Switzerland’s Court of Appeal filing
a complaint against the General Prosecutor’s office which refused
to launch a criminal case against Bagis because of his diplomatic
immunity, Nouvelles d’Armenie reports.
Earlier, investigation against Bagis was initiated by Article 261
of the Swiss Criminal Code referring to racist statements. The
proceedings were launched following the World Economic Forum in
Davos in January 2012 where the Turkish official claimed “there was
no Armenian Genocide”. Later, however, the case was suspended.
“After consulting with the Swiss foreign ministry, the prosecutor
has concluded that criminal charges against Egemen Bagis cannot be
pursued because, as a Turkish EU Minister, he enjoyed immunity during
his entire stay in Switzerland,” the Swiss prosecutor said in April
2 statement.
For his part, Andreas Dreisiebner, Co-Chairman of the Switzerland –
Armenia Association voiced indignation over reserved stance of the
Swiss authorities.
“The Turkish minister openly and deliberately violated Swiss
legislation by voicing racist statements. Meanwhile, we prefer
economic relations to the human rights, and this is disgraceful,”
he said doubting the relevance of diplomatic immunity, the economic
forum in Davos being a private event.