TURKISH MILITANT TO APPEAL SENTENCE FOR ARMENIA GENOCIDE DENIAL
Agence France Presse — English
March 12, 2007 Monday 2:23 PM GMT
Geneva
Turkish militant leader Dogu Perincek will appeal his conviction under
a Swiss law for denying that mass killings of Armenians during World
War One constituted genocide, his lawyer said on Monday.
Perincek, the leader of the Turkish Workers’ 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 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."