FAON: Dutch students of Marmara University obliged to attend lessons on Armenian Genocide denial

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Federation of Armenian Organizations in the Netherlands (FAON) has protested to the Dutch Minister Ronald Plasterk of Education, Culture and Science against the fact that ERASMUS students of Marmara State University in Turkey, are obliged to attend a four days' course with a program, which includes, among others, such subjects as the denial of the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish point of view on Cyprus, Inge Drost, spokesperson for Abovyan Cultural Center, told PanARMENIAN.Net



The FAON states that the Netherlands should stop this ERASMUS program with respect to Turkey as a protest against the manner that these students are treated.



The FAON emphasizes that Turkey, as a candidate state for EU has absolutely not shown any progress in the field of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. There is still no freedom of expression about the Armenian Genocide. Even now under the amended Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, prosecution still takes place of people, who speak about the Armenian Genocide. In such a manner proceedings were started recently, with authorization of the Minister of Justice of Turkey, against writer Temel Demirer, because of his press conference last year, the day after the assassination of the Armenian Turkish journalist Hrant Dink. The FAON indicates that expressions of the Turkish denialist policy take place in all kinds of ways. Similar with the Hawk Lessons are the courses, such as the lessons given to Dutch Turks, who fulfill a shortened or normal conscription in Turkey. Also in the Netherlands the Turkish and Dutch public are influenced by the activities of the Turkish Embassy, by means of Turkish TV programs transmitted via the Dutch cable, and by some Turkish organizations in the Netherlands. Often there is fear for the "long arm of Ankara", as a result of which many Turks do not dare to protest against such activities. Others, particularly Right Nationalist Turks, are very active in spreading the denialist material, among others, by means of Internet.



As a result of the news on the Turkish interpretation of the exchange program with the Erasmus University, the FAON repeats its earlier requests to include teaching pack in the Dutch educational system for providing the youth with objective information, which can prevent difficulties between population groups in the future. This teaching pack might include several genocide events, for example the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide and the genocide in Rwanda, in order to provide all young people with more knowledge and understanding of the subject.



Concerning the situation in Turkey, the FAON assumes that the Dutch politicians, who wanted to wait for the practical consequences of the amended Article 301 of Turkish Penal Code, will now clearly renounce the interpretation of this Article by Turkish government about the freedom of speech and the denial of the Armenian Genocide.