Reporters without borders (press release), France
Oct 14 2006

Reporters Without Borders regrets adoption of law making it a crime
to deny Turkish genocide against Armenians

Reporters Without Borders can only regret the adoption by the French
National Assembly, on 12 October 2006, of a draft law making denial
of the Armenian genocide a crime. It will now be punishable by five
years in jail and 45,000 euros fine.

The law complements that of 19 January 2001 in which France publicly
recognised the 1915 Armenian genocide.

`There is obviously no question of going back on the recognition of
the Armenian genocide, but legislating on it will expose anyone
denying it to harsh judicial penalties set out by the 18 July 1881
law on press freedom (Article 24a). Memorial laws contribute to the
creation of an official historical truth. This practice is
incompatible with France’s fundamental values, starting with freedom
of expression,’ said the organisation.

`Not only is it absurd that free expression – however contestable and
that is not the question – should be submitted to a constraint which
is also an additional threat, but it seems to us that this legalistic
concept of history will be much more likely to stoke up antagonism
rather than promote debate.

`It is particularly symbolic that this vote should have been held on
the same day of the awarding of the Nobel Prize for literature to
Orhan Pamuk, who was himself taken to court by the Turkish
authorities for having raised the issue of this genocide,’ Reporters
Without Borders stressed.

Reporters Without Borders hopes that senators due to examine the law
at the second reading, will show less attention to forthcoming
elections and will have the wisdom to reject it. If not it could have
incalculable consequences for all historians and of course for press
freedom.