Sunday Times, Australia
Oct 14 2006
Armenians rally to support genocide billFrom correspondents in
Yerevan
October 14, 2006 02:30am
AROUND 1000 students rallied in the Armenian capital overnight to
thank the French parliament for backing a bill that would make it a
crime to deny that Turks committed genocide against the Armenians in
the early 20th century.
"Thank You France!" and "Hail French Justice!" read two of the
placards held up by the students from a nationalist youth group, who
waved flags of Armenia and France as they marched through central
Yerevan.
Participants at the rally laid flowers by the French embassy
building.
"With this march we want to express our gratitude to the French
parliament and the French people," said Aik Asatryan, head of the
Dashnaktsutyun group that organised the march.
"We want to say thank you. Despite threats from Turkey, they were not
afraid and took the right decision," Mr Asatryan said.
Participants at the rally presented France’s ambassador to Yerevan,
Henry Cuny, with a letter that read: "With this step France has once
again shown its support for defending human rights and freedom of
speech."
The French parliament on Thursday approved on first reading a bill
that would make it a crime to deny that the 1915-1917 massacres of
Armenians by the Ottoman Turks constituted genocide.
The bill still needs the approval of the Senate and the president to
take effect.
Turkey, which strongly rejects the use of the term genocide in the
sensitive Armenian issue, slammed the vote, saying France had dealt
"a heavy blow" to longstanding bilateral relations.