President of the French Senate Jean-Pierre Bel, who voted in favor of the Genocide bill adoption, stated that he upholds his party’s stance on the draft law criminalizing genocide denial, according to AFP.

“This is not a memorial law,” he said, adding that he backs the bill.

Constitutional Commission of the French Senate voiced its position regarding the issue, with the bill being debated and voted on Monday,” Mr. Bel noted.

On January 18, Constitutional Commission of the French Senate passed a decision against debating of the bill criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial, accepting Senators’ solicitation that oppose the aforesaid legislation.

On December 22, 2011, French National Assembly passed a bill criminalizing public denial of the Armenian Genocide. If passed and signed into law by the Senate, the bill would impose 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.