Secretary of Brussels Region of Belgium Accused of Armenian Genocide Denial
A civil court in Belgium has returned a verdict finding Emir Kir (Socialist Party), the State Secretary of the Brussels region of Belgium, a "liar," and "denier" in connection with his statements and actions concerning the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Federation of Europe told PanARMENIAN.Net. Kir has said that he will appeal the verdict. The court proceedings began after Kir lodged a complaint against the administrators of a website www.suffrage-universel.be, Messrs Mehmet Koksal and Pierre-Yves Lambert, on the grounds that the website misrepresented him. The accusations included the charge that Kir had falsely claimed to have an educational degree that he had taken liberties with the law on electoral expenses, that he had taken part in demonstrations denying the Armenian Genocide, and that he had articulated positions denying this crime against humanity. The finding against Kir confirms that Armenian Genocide denial is not protected freedom of expression, but rather a profound moral outrage, which can be denounced as such.
The verdict clearly spells out that the Court "considers as an established fact that the demonstration [in which Mr. Kir took part] actually aimed to refute - hence to deny - that the crime committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkey in 1915-1916 constituted a genocide." The court rejected Kir's claim that his refusal to use the term genocide was due to the fact that an independent committee of historians has yet to make this determination. The Court noted that, by "deliberately ignoring the extensive documentation that already exists" Kir was effectively denying the Armenian Genocide.
"This verdict could not be more timely - coming as it does at the moment when Ankara is launching legal actions around the world against public and private institutions that teach truthfully about the Armenian Genocide," said Laurent Leylekian, the Executive Director of the European Armenian Federation. "Through this court action, Belgian civil society is calling on Belgian legislator to impose strict penalties on the denial of the Armenian Genocide, officially imposing sanctions against all those, who through their denials, insult to the dignity of Armenians and all Belgians. As such, we ask Minister of Justice, Mrs Onkelinx, and the Senate to reactivate the draft law on this subject that they had previously tabled," added Leylekian. "It is urgent that Europeans formally criminalize denial before Turkey - the denier State that has applied for membership in the European Union - has the opportunity to seek to impose its denials on Europe from within. Belgium should and must be on the front lines of this noble effort," concluded Leylekian.
The verdict clearly spells out that the Court "considers as an established fact that the demonstration [in which Mr. Kir took part] actually aimed to refute - hence to deny - that the crime committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkey in 1915-1916 constituted a genocide." The court rejected Kir's claim that his refusal to use the term genocide was due to the fact that an independent committee of historians has yet to make this determination. The Court noted that, by "deliberately ignoring the extensive documentation that already exists" Kir was effectively denying the Armenian Genocide.
"This verdict could not be more timely - coming as it does at the moment when Ankara is launching legal actions around the world against public and private institutions that teach truthfully about the Armenian Genocide," said Laurent Leylekian, the Executive Director of the European Armenian Federation. "Through this court action, Belgian civil society is calling on Belgian legislator to impose strict penalties on the denial of the Armenian Genocide, officially imposing sanctions against all those, who through their denials, insult to the dignity of Armenians and all Belgians. As such, we ask Minister of Justice, Mrs Onkelinx, and the Senate to reactivate the draft law on this subject that they had previously tabled," added Leylekian. "It is urgent that Europeans formally criminalize denial before Turkey - the denier State that has applied for membership in the European Union - has the opportunity to seek to impose its denials on Europe from within. Belgium should and must be on the front lines of this noble effort," concluded Leylekian.
