TURKEY’S OBJECTIONS TO SO CALLED "ARMENIAN GENOCIDE" YIELDS RESULTS
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 25 2007
Turkish objections to "Armenian genocide" yields results
Turkey is not losing its battle against the radical Armenian diaspora
in all front as its latest diplomatic victory shows.
Last week the European Union approved a framework decision aimed at
criminalizing denial of the Holocaust and other genocides following
six years of intense debate. Attempts by the Armenain to qualify
the incidents of 1915 as an act of genocide by the Ottoman Turks was
turned down and were not included in the scope of the law..
The end product was described as a carefully-balanced compromise
by EU diplomats, which allows EU countries to opt out of enforcing
the law if national laws do not prohibit similar conduct. The bill
authorizes a maximum sentence of three years for:
Publicly condoning, denying or grossly trivialising: (1) crimes of
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes…directed against
a group of persons or a member of such a group defined by reference
to race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin, and
(2) crimes defined by the Tribunal of Nuremberg…directed against
a group of persons or a member of such a group defined by reference
to race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin.
Thus, the bill only covers incidents that are covered within the
scope of the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction, such as the
Holocaust and the 1994 Rwanda genocide, but does not cover events such
as the alleged Armenian genocide or Stalin’s purges and deportations
in Soviet Russia.
The decision allows member states to retain constitutional language
granting freedoms of speech and press. The decision also criminalizes
publicly inciting to violence or hatred , even by dissemination or
distribution of tracts, pictures or other material, directed against
a group of persons or a member of such a group defined by reference
to race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin.
The International Herald Tribune quoted EU officials as saying the
law was notable for what it omitted.
Fearing that the legislation could be hijacked by groups trying to
right historical wrongs, a majority of EU countries rejected a demand
by the formerly communist Baltic countries that the law criminalize
the denial of atrocities committed by Stalin during Soviet times. As
a political gesture, however, Franco Frattini, the EU’s justice
commissioner, said the EU would organize public hearings on the
"horrible crimes" of the Stalin era in the coming months.
The scope of the law also does not cover other historical events,
like the alleged massacre of Armenians during the First World War by
Ottoman Turks, which Armenians claim a genocide.
France has recognized the Armenian claims and is trying to pass
legislation that makes it a crime to deny the events as a genocide.