Kathimerini, Greece
July 25 2005

Turkish politician quizzed by Swiss over genocide remarks

ANKARA (AFP) – Swiss authorities questioned the leader of a minor
left-wing Turkish party for saying that the killings of Armenians
during World War I could not be classified as genocide, the Anatolia
news agency reported yesterday. Dogu Perincek, the chairman of the
Workers’ Party (IP), was briefly detained late Saturday in the Swiss
town of Winterthur where he was taking part in activities to mark the
82nd anniversary of the Lausanne Treaty, the founding accord of
modern-day Turkey, the agency said. He was questioned by the city
prosecutor for three-and-a-half hours before being released.
Winterthur police spokesman Werner Benz was quoted by the agency as
telling reporters that Perincek was questioned for saying «the
Armenian genocide is an international lie,» a remark deemed to be
racist under Swiss law.