Zaman, Turkey
Nov 16 2004

Armenian Case Against Turkish Diplomat Dismissed

A Paris Court dismissed a case brought by the Comité de Défense de
la Cause Arménienne (CDCA) against the Paris Consul General of
Turkey, Aydin Sezgin, for his rejection of the so-called Armenian
genocide on the Consulate’s official internet website. The court
ruled that Sezgin cannot be impugned because of his diplomatic
privilege. The court also decided that court expenses would be met by
the CDCA.

Last July, the CDCA filed a complaint which stated, “The Turkish
Consulate General of Paris broadcasts to the French public, on its
official website, a denial of the so-called Armenian genocide.”
During the first court proceedings in October, the Paris Attorney
General requested a “foreign plea”, citing Sezgin’s diplomatic
privileges, which stem from Vienna Convention on diplomatic
privileges.

The Attorney general announced that according to the rules of
international law, the Turkish diplomat had a right to declare his
official viewpoint, despite its apparent contradiction of French
domestic law. For the first time, a Turkish diplomat was summoned to
court because of the so-called genocide claims.