‘Genocide’ bill in Belgium waits for ‘political bargaining’

Thursday, May 19, 2005

DIPLOMACY

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

Belgium’s Senate Justice Committee has postponed debate on a bill
envisioning penalties for those who deny Armenian genocide allegations
“in order to grant time for political bargaining,” reported the
Anatolia news agency.

The Justice Committee is expected to discuss the bill in two weeks
and, if approved, it will be presented for the approval of the full
senate prior to July. The bill asks for penalties to be imposed on
those who deny the genocide allegations, either with imprisonment
from eight days to one year or a fine of 26 to 5,000 euros.

Belgium, where approximately 150,000 Turks — most with dual
citizenship — and 7,000 Armenians live, will hold local elections
next year. The Turkish community in Belgium is gearing for action,
using democratic and legal means, against the bill if it is adopted.

The Belgian media has been covering the voting potential of the
Turkish community in local elections.

The Belgian Senate in 1998 passed a resolution calling on the Turkish
government to “recognize the reality of the genocide,” perpetrated
against Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire.

“There is no doubt about the historical evidence regarding the
organized and systematic murder of Armenians,” the Senate said in the
resolution. Turkey categorically denies Armenian charges alleging that
1.5 million Anatolian Armenians were killed in a genocide campaign
during World War I.