December 28, 2011 - 14:01 AMT
Politician to seek making Armenian Genocide denial illegal in Bosnia

Bosnian Serb political leader Milorad Dodik said he will seek to make denial of the Armenian Genocide illegal in Bosnia, AFP reported citing Fena news agency.

Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, the Serb-run entity in Bosnia, said his party would "propose a law that would ban denial of the genocide committed against Armenians" in 1915.

"We would like to enter into the circle of civilized countries, European and others, who have denounced this genocide. We will submit the draft to the (central) parliament in the coming days," Dodik said.

He said "the genocide against Armenians was committed without a doubt and one-and-a-half million people were massacred."

On December 22, French National Assembly passed the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial. The vote followed the December 7 decision by the Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly to adopt the bill introduced by MP Valerie Boyer (UMP).

The draft law envisages a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros for those who publicly deny the Armenian Genocide in France.