Turkey “carefully following” Genocide bill reintroduction in France

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey is carefully following the situation with a possible reconsideration of the law on criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial in France, Anadolu agency quoted Turkish Minister for EU Affairs as saying.With Turkish embassy following the development of events around the Genocide law, Turkey hasn’t received any information on a new discussion of the issue, Egemen Bagis said.

On January 23, 2012, the French Senate passed the bill making it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide. The bill envisaged imposing a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Later, the French Constitutional Council ruled that the bill is anti-constitutional. In a statement the Council said the document represented an “unconstitutional breach of the practice of freedom of expression and communication.”

After election, President Hollande pledged to introduce a similar bill that would go in line with the country’s constitution.