Sabah, Turkey
Oct 13 2006

France passes the law despite all warnings

The French parliament has approved the bill making it a crime to deny
that Armenians suffered from a genocide in 1915. Both the government
and the press did everything in their power up until the very last
moment to prevent the law from passing, however the motion was
carried by 106 votes to 19.

Ignoring Turkish protests, the French parliament approved a bill on
Thursday making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered from a
genocide in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The bill still
needs to be ratified by both the upper house Senate and the French
president to become a law, but Turkey has already warned that
Thursday’s vote would damage ties between the two NATO allies.
The legislation establishes a one-year prison term and 45,000 euro
($56,570) fine for anyone denying that genocide occurred — exactly
the same sanctions as those imposed for denying the Nazi genocide of
Jews during World War Two. The French government did not support the
motion, saying it was up to historians and not the parliament to
judge the past, but the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
gave its lawmakers a free hand in the vote, ensuring it would pass.