PanARMENIAN.Net

EU proposes to send to jail those denying genocide in Africa or Balkans
02.02.2007 16:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ People who question the official history of recent
conflicts in Africa and the Balkans could be jailed for up to three
years for "genocide denial", under proposed EU legislation. Germany,
current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, will table new
legislation to outlaw "racism and xenophobia" this spring.

"How will we determine precisely what is denial? Will history be
decided by historians or in a courtroom?" European officials censure
the EU initiative. Berlin’s draft EU directive extends the idea of
Holocaust denial to the "gross minimisation of genocide out of racist
and xenophobic motives", to include crimes dealt with by the
International Criminal Court. The ICC was set up in 2002 following
international outcry about war crimes and alleged genocides in the
former Yugoslavia and in Africa.

European Commission officials insist that the legislation is
necessary: "racism and xenophobia can manifest themselves in the form
of genocide denial so that it is very important to take strong
action". But the legislation faces stiff opposition from academics who
fear it would stifle debate over some of the biggest issues in
contemporary international relations. Prof Lipstadt has an
international reputation for challenging Holocaust denial. She was
sued unsuccessfully for libel in 2000 by David Irving, the British
historian, after exposing his misrepresentation of historical evidence
and association with Right-wing extremists. But she does not believe
denying the Holocaust or genocide should be a crime, reports The Daily
Telegraph.

It’s worth reminding here that late 2006 the French parliament passed
a bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial and providing for a
big fine or a year in prison.