3000 people in Paris demanded criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial

March 13, 2011 - 15:24 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - About 3000 people gathered at the French Senate building on March 12 to demand adoption of the bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide.

The event initiated by Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France brought together world famous singer, Armenia’s ambassador to Switzerland Charles Aznavour, French President’s aide Patrick Devedjian, lawyer Serge Klarsfeld and other public figures, Nouvelles d'Arménie reported.

On October 12, 2006, French National Assembly passed a bill on criminalization of the Armenian Genocide denial. Recently, WikiLeaks released a cable quoting French President Nicolas Sarkozy as saying that the bill “will be buried in the Senate”, what aroused Aznavour’s indignation.

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.