Zaman, Turkey
June 2 2006

New Genocide Denial Bill on Agenda in Netherlands

By Anadolu News Agency (AA), Cihan News Agency, Hague,
Published: Friday, June 02, 2006
zaman.com

After the delay of the French bill to penalize the denial of the
so-called Armenian genocide, a similar offer came from the
Netherlands.

Prepared by the Christian Union (CU) party having three seats at the
150-seat Dutch parliament, the draft was presented to the assembly.
The bid aims to criminalize denial of the so-called Armenian
genocide.

Tineke Huizinga-Heringa, who submitted the motion, said the bill does
not contradict the freedoms of thought and speech.

Huizinga-Heringa said they thought legal regulation was called for
after certain developments were not initiated for the so-called
Armenian Genocide and Jewish Holocaust, adding they expect support
from other parties for the bid.

The Netherlands Armenian Federation and Dutch antiracism organization
(LBR) supported the offer.

The Turkish community showed immediate reaction to the latest
development by Dutch deputies.

Last year, the Danish Administration had attempted to prepare a law
criminalize people and foundations who voice their ideas about
neglecting, approving or rejecting terrorist actions.

The bill, which accepted genocide as a crime, did not mention the
so-called Armenian Genocide explicitly. The government later
abandoned this attempt.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress