APA, Azerbaijan
Jan 28 2015
ECHR Grand Chamber holding hearing on Swiss govt’s appeal against
judgment on Perinçek’s case – PHOTO
[ 28 January 2015 13:51 ]
Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubeyli ` APA. The Grand Chamber of the European
Court of Human Rights has today started hearing on the Swiss
government’s appeal against the judgment on DoÄ?u Perinçek’s case. 17
judges are participating at the hearing presided over by ECHR
President Dean Spielmann, APA’s Europe correspondent reports.
Perinçek’s is represented by attorneys Mehmet Cengiz and Christian
Laurent Pech, Turkey by professor Stefan Talmon, Switzerland by Daniel
Türer, Armenia by Geoffrey Robertson and Ms. Amal Clooney.
Members of the Turkish Constitutional Court and attorneys of the
Council of State of France are also attending the hearing. Armenians
are holding a rally on one side of the street outside the ECHR
building and Turks on the other side. The street is cordoned off by
police.
Turkey’s Workers’ Party (Ä°P) Chairman DoÄ?u Perinçek has been put under
police surveillance for his description of the Armenian genocide as
“an international lie” at a demonstration in Lausanne on 25 July 2005.
After being released only with the interference of Turkey, Perinçek
was sentenced to 3-month imprisonment under the court judgment, but
his sentence was commuted to a fine. In June 2008, DoÄ?u Perinçek
appealed to the European Court of Human Rights as Switzerland
restricted his freedom of expression. The ECHR sustained his appeal on
17 December 2013. In March 2014, the Swiss government filed an appeal
against the decision of the ECHR. Armenia and France were involved in
the process as well. Switzerland’s appeal will be clarified by the
Grand Chamber of the ECHR. The Chamber’s decision to be announced
after two months is final and no appeal lies against it.