Armenia hails France's move to criminalize Genocide denial

October 14, 2016 - 16:22 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on Friday, October 14 hailed the French Senate's decision to criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

1.5 million Armenians were murdered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, hundreds of thousands were forced out of the country.

"We welcome the Senate's move to approve the draft law adopted by the National Assembly back in summer," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

According to the Armenian foreign office, France thus reiterates its role in fighting denial of genocides and preventing the recurrence of new crimes against humanity.

The French Senate on Friday approved a draft law criminalizing the denial of the Genocide.

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.