EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION For Justice & Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd [1]

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DENIERS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SHOULD BE PUNISHED IN EUROPE

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy wishes to
highlight the case of Armand Sag, a Dutchman of Turkish origin, who
falsified on the blog `_Dagelijkse Standaard_’ (Daily Standard),
the remarks of a Dutch politician referring to the Armenian Genocide.
According to the press, the Turkish blogger refused to apologize for
his fallacious assertions, confirming his intentions as a genocide
denier, which are widely evident throughout his website under the
pre-text of being a `researcher on the 1915 events’.
The European Armenian Federation points out, among many cases in
Belgium, the January 17th concert of Arif Sirin in Saint Josse, where
the singer performed his songs glorifying Hrant Dink’s murderers.
The organizer was a Turkish association affiliated with the extremist
right movement of the Gray Wolves, which is widely known to justify
the extermination of the Armenians and the repression of other
minorities. Of great concern was the active role played by Socialist
Provincial Parliament member, Mr Yves Lardinois, who serves as
President of his citizen platform in the area.
The Federation recalls the commendable judgement in France, on
January 5th, of Sirma Oran-Martz for `bringing a frivolous civil
lawsuit’ against Jean-Paul Bret. Sirma Oran accused the Mayor of
Villeurbanne of racial discrimination following the Mayor’s request
to Sirma Oran to clarify her position concerning the Armenian Genocide
while Sirma Oran was candidate in the 2008 local elections. Facing the
determination of the outgoing Mayor, Sirma Oran refused to give an
opinion, adopting an attitude in line with her opposition to the
Genocide Memorial in Lyon, which was expressed by her participation in
the Turkish demonstration against this Memorial.
The Federation notes the Turkish State’s progressive
sophistication of arguments in its rhetoric of denial. `The
political community has the duty to be concerned about the
proliferation of these denialist ideas in European countries, be they
from Turkish natives or not, be they explicitly displayed or under the
pretext of the right to freedom of thought and expression, or even the
right to indifference,’ declared Hilda Tchoboian, the President of
the European Armenian Federation. `We condemn the perversity of
these new sophisticated forms of genocide denial, which consist of
denying, glorifying, minimizing and relativizing the seriousness of
the most abominable crimes against Humanity,’ affirmed Hilda
Tchoboian.
The Federation is concerned about the total impunity under which
these deniers are acting. It emphasizes that the EU Framework-Decision
against Racism and Xenophobia should be integrated into the national
legislations before the end of 2010 and thus, calls on the governments
of the European Union to take into consideration the increase in cases
of denial of the Armenian genocide in their implementation of this
Framework-Decision into their legislation. `Only by implementing
into the Member States’ legislation will we be able to contain this
plague on a European scale,’ affirmed Hilda Tchoboian.
The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy gives its
total support to all the political and civic forces in Europe which
act against the proliferation of cases of the denial of the Armenian
Genocide, the Holocaust, and the Tutsi genocide.

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The European Armenian Federation is the biggest and most influential
Armenian grassroots organisation in Europe

Links:
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[1] /extern/url.php?u=3479&qid=1014925
[2] /extern/url.php?u=3480&qid=1014925
[3] /extern/url.php?u=3481&qid=1014925