TURKISH PARTY LEADER PERINCEK TO APPEAL SENTENCE FOR SO-CALLED ARMENIA GENOCIDE DENIAL

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 12 2007

GENEVA – Dogu Perincek, Turkish leftist party leader, will appeal his
conviction under a Swiss law for denying that killings of Armenians
during World War One constituted genocide, his lawyer said on Monday.

Mr. Perincek, the leader of the Turkish Labour Party, received a fine
of 3,000 Swiss francs (1,900 euros, 2,500 dollars) and a suspended
sentence last Friday from a court in Lausanne, over comments he made
during a rally in the Swiss city in 2005.

He was the first person to be convicted in Switzerland for denying the
so-called Armenian genocide, following his claim the killings were an
"international lie".

Judge Pierre-Henri Winzap said on Friday that Perincek was an "arrogant
provocateur" with "racist and nationalist motives".

In response, Perincek said the court’s ruling "reflects in a concrete
manner the Swiss judge’s hatred for Turkey and the Turkish nation."

The judge did not allow the Turks inside the court while the Armenian
supporters were inside.