St. Petersburg Armenians urge to criminalize Genocide denial

December 10, 2014 - 15:05 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The St. Petersburg Armenians regional NGO issued an official statement to Russia’s State Duma urging to introduce clauses criminalizing public denial of the Armenian Genocide into legal acts.

As St. Petersburg Armenians Bulleting told PanARMENIAN.Net the articles will supposedly be introduced into Russia's Criminal Code, Procedural Criminal Code, and Administrative Violations Code.

On April 14, 1995, Russia’s State Duma adopted a resolution condemning the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to 1922, expressing sympathy to the Armenian people and recognizing April 24 as a day of remembrance for the victims of the Genocide.

The Parliament of Greece on September 9, 2014 adopted a bill that criminalizes the denial of the Armenian Genocide and other crimes against humanity.

Greece becomes the third European country after Switzerland and Slovakia to adopt such a measure.

The bill known as “Fight against Xenophobia” envisions bringing criminal charges for denial of the genocides of not only Jews, but also Armenians and Pontus Greeks. The bill stipulates heavy fines and imprisonment terms for individuals who publicly deny genocides and other crimes against humanity that are recognized by the Greek Parliament and international courts.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.