For all those who will deny the Armenian Genocide
This morning the French Senate will discuss the well-known resolution that condemns the Armenian Genocide. It is unclear yet what decision will be made, but the representatives of Turkey have already decided to organize rallies and protests near the Senate and inside the building today. Unlike Turks, the Armenian community has not organized actions, waiting for the decision of the country’s legislature. Turkey also voices threats that she will freeze diplomatic and economic relations with France and if the bill banning the denial of the Armenian Genocide is passed and the bill becomes a law, Turkey will immediately call back her ambassador, according to official information, to give appropriate instructions. If the bill punishing those who deny the Genocide is passed, those denying the Genocide will be sent to prison for one year and fined €45 thousand. Before last evening the French Cabinet had not urged the parliament of the country to suspend the passing of the bill providing for a punishment for denying the Armenian Genocide.
During a conversation with Radio Liberty head of the French Bureau of Hay Dat (Armenian Cause) Hrach Varzhapetyan said the following, “The French Cabinet, the executive power, during its general session, before sending it to the parliament, could have urged the parliament to send it back, to take the discussion of that issue off its agenda, explaining that the French-Turkish relations would really be damaged and become unstable, therefore, it was not necessary, but it didn’t happen. Fortunately, [the Cabinet] was consistent and gave the green light to the French parliament, the National Assembly, that this issue was kept on the agenda, discussed and put to the vote till Thursday.”
Eduard Sharmazanov, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, presenting our county’s expectations from the voting taking place today, said, “Passing the bill punishing those denying the Armenian Genocide is very important for the process of recognizing and condemning the Genocide, as first of all the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is not an aim in itself. That process aims at strengthening the national security, universal human values and preventing crimes in the future.”
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According to Eduard Sharmazanov, providing for punishment for those denying the Armenian Genocide is an important mechanism for restraining and preventing the crime’s repetition in the future, “The bill put forward at the French parliament relates to not only the Armenian Genocide, but also all the genocides recognized by France. It is possible to create conditions by this for equating all genocides, including the Armenian as a crime of the same category and internationalizing the fight against it.”
Artyusha Shahbazyan, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) secretary, observed during a conversation with us yesterday that the very fact that the Turks were so anxious about this bill, was yet another manifestation that, “This is an important step in the process of recognizing, condemning and eventually compensating for the Genocide. At the end of the day, France is a country dictating standards in Europe and passing such a bill in France can have a great influence on other countries too. This solves yet another important issue – in the most European country of Europe the law strictly stipulates that the Genocide issue cannot be a subject of argument and therefore the law provides for certain punishments for that. Those ridiculous claims that the tire will spin back, some historians will start researches will be put aside from now on. If the bill is passed, the absolute, undeniable truth will be passed. This is necessary for not only us Armenians, but also will influence much more positively first of all Turkish society, in which there already is some visible progress, little, but there already is.”
Our interlocutor was convinced that this bill that will be passed by the French Senate can be perceived as a step forward on the road of recognizing the Genocide. According to Mr. Shahbazyan, the Turkish protests and threats to break off diplomatic relations with France mean only one thing, “This also means a failure of the diplomatic activities of the Turkish establishment that will have both external and internal impact, certainly, providing that pursuing the cause advances and this makes them nervous. France does not have to fear the Turkish threats, as it will mean that Turkey will cut the branch she sits on – certainly, the European politics is not conditioned only by France, but it is considerably conditioned by that country.”
MARGARIT YESAYAN
