Armenians of France established a "Committee of Protecting Taner Akcam"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian community of France has established a "Committee of Advocating Taner Akcam", which will protect the writer from possible attacks by Turkey. The Committee has turned to the French government and a number of European structures with a letter, which informs about increasing danger for Akcam because of his publications on the Armenian Genocide. The letter condemns Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which violates the freedom of speech and expression. "For about a month ago Professor Taner Akcam at the Minnesota University found out that a man hiding in the USA under "Holdwater" pseudonym and who is struggling against the Armenian Genocide recognition for more than 30 years and protecting the Turkish viewpoint in this respect is nobody else, than film director Murad Gumen. After this the number of threats addressed to the Turkish historian has significantly increased. An article titled "Is it possible that Taner Akcam will be killed" was posted on one of the Turkish web-sites. The author of the article remembers Akcam's activities and brings a letter written by the historian himself. In this letter Akcam says, "After Hrant I am next in turn", "Yerkir" newspaper reports.



In 1977 Taner Akcam had to leave Turkey. From 1988 he lived in Hamburg, Germany. From 2002 he is junior scientific assistant professor at the Minnesota University, USA. Akcam is the author of "Shameful Act" Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility", which was widely and positively accepted in the USA and has attracted great attention towards the author and the Armenian Genocide issue.