Top French court rules Armenian genocide bill unconstitutional

PARIS, France : France’s Constitutional Council ruled on Tuesday that a government-backed law that makes it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during World War I is unconstitutional, a move that looks set to ward off a deepening crisis in Turkish-French ties.

The council’s decision was posted on its official website after a month-long examination of the much discussed law, which French President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to ratify by the end of February. According to the statement, the law was not in line with the constitution’s articles that highlight freedom of expression and thought, the Hurriyet Daily News reported. Ankara expressed its satisfaction with the law and said this would remove hurdles standing in the way of the improvement of relations between the two countries. “This is a very positive decision. I thank the members of the council for the respectful decision. It will set a precedent as well,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told reporters, as quoted by the newspaper. In late December, France’s National Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill, prompting an angry response from Turkey which does not agree with the term genocide. On January 23, the French Senate adopted the controversial bill. The law sets a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of 45,000 euros ($58,000) for those who deny or ‘outrageously minimize’ the ‘genocide’ of Armenians by the Ottoman government during World War I. It also criminalizes other genocides recognized by France. It is estimated that between 600,000 and 1.5 million people of the Armenian population were killed by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, but Turkey has refused to use the word ‘genocide’ to describe the events. Numerous countries have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, including France. (BNO News)

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Top French court rules Armenian genocide bill unconstitutional

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