EP to discuss Framework Decision on combating racism and xenophobia

PanARMENIAN.Net - By organizing a conference on the Framework-Decision against Racism and Xenophobia, the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Development (EAFJD) has taken a first step toward standardizing from the top down the European antiracist laws, the EAFJD told PanARMENIAN.Net



The workshop organized by the European Armenian Federation will take place on Wednesday, January 21 in the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels.



Organized under the honorary presidency of Mrs. Martine Roure, Vice President of the European Parliament, this meeting will offer a chance to introduce the recently adopted Framework-Decision, which aims to combat racism and xenophobia, to European political leaders, human rights advocates and legal experts.



Indeed, the primary objective of this document is to ban in Europe the denial of genocides. Member states are required to transform the Framework-Decision into national law within a two-year period.



"Protection of citizens from the act of denial is imperfect. Europeans are not protected against denial of the Armenian or Tutsi genocides," said Laurent Leylekian, the EAFJD executive director.



"With the implementation of this Framework-Decision, the European Union intends to fill a penal vacuum by instituting a pan-European penalization of the denial of all proven genocides. It is a major step in the direction of a protective Europe required by European citizens, and this conference directly contributes to this process," Leylekian said.