Slovakia’s Armenians demand prosecution of envoy to Russia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Slovakia’s Armenian community representatives addressed the public prosecutor's office with a statement urging for instigation of a criminal case against Slovakia’s ambassador to Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and Slovakia’s former parliamentary speaker Josef Migash. The embassy’s statement addressed to Azerbaijani media, claiming that Slovakia lacked a law criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial served a reason for the step.

“Slovakia’s ambassador to Moscow Josef Migash confirmed the information during his official meeting with Armenia’s envoy to Russia Oleg Yesayan,” president of the Forum of Armenian Associations of Europe (FAAE) Ashot Grigoryan's statement to Slovakia’s prosecutor's office reads.

According to Mr. Grigoryan, Armenian Genocide denial is criminalized in Slovakia under paragraph 424a of the Penal Code, with Slovakia's Supreme Court Chairman Štefan Harabin confirming his point.

Slovakia’s embassy in Moscow declined to comment on the measures taken by FAAE head.

“The embassy bases its stance on state institutions’ official standpoint,” representative of an embassy in Russia Martin Kacho said.

In November, 2011, Armenian media released publications on the Slovakian law penalizing Armenian Genocide denial, citing Slovakia’s Supreme Council chairman Stefan Harabin’s statement. In response to the outlets, Azerbaijan published the statement of Slovakia’s embassy in Russia, denying the existence of such a law.

“Under the paragraph 424a of Slovakia’s Penal Code, denial of the Armenian Genocide is criminalized along with the Holocaust negating expressions,” Mr. Harabin told a SITA. Agency, noting Slovakia as the only country in the EU to criminalize denial of Armenian Genocide.