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.