The Local, Switzerland
Jan 28 2015
Rights court hears Swiss appeal of ‘genocide’ case
Published: 28 Jan 2015 12:21 GMT+01:00
The case of a Turkish politician who declared in Switzerland that the
Armenian genocide is an “international lie” is to be reconsidered by
Europe’s top human rights court in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
The European Court of Human Rights in 2013 dismissed Swiss court
rulings that Dogu Perinçek, chairman of the Turkish Workers’ Party,
was guilty of racial discrimination by making such remarks.
The court found that decisions against Perincek by courts in
Switzerland violated his freedom of expression, as defined by the
European Convention on Human Rights.
In March last year, Bern requested that the case be referred to the
human rights court’s Grand Chamber, which on June 2 agreed to rehear
the case.
Perinçek participated in various Swiss conferences in May, July and
September 2005 during which he “publicly denied that the Ottoman
Empire had perpetrated the crime of genocide against the Armenian
people in 1915.”
The Switzerland-Armenia association subsequently filed a criminal
complaint against him on July 15th 2005.
The Lausanne police court found Perinçek guilty of racial
discrimination under the Swiss criminal code.
The Vaud cantonal court dismissed an appeal lodged by the Turk,
stating that the Armenian genocide was a “proven historical fact” like
the Jewish genoicde.
Switzerland’s supreme court rejected a further appeal in a December
12th 2007 decision.
But the European human rights court, by a vote of five to two,
accepted Perinçek’s argument that the “breach” of his freedom of
expression was “not necessary in a democratic society”.
The issue is a sensitive one, given that Armenians are marking the
100th anniversary of the genocide this year.
The hearing of the Strasbourg court will deal with the question of the
limits of freedom of expression, an issue that has come into focus
with the recent deadly terror attacks of staff at the French satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo.
While the Grand Chamber was scheduled to hear the case on Wednesday
afternoon, a ruling will not be made until later.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2015/01/28/rights-court-hears-swiss-appeal-of-genocide-case/
