Turkey angered by French bill to criminalize 'Armenian genocide denial'

[2pac Shakur]

The French parliament is to vote on a bill on Thursday making it illegal to deny that the 1915 killing of Armenians during World War I was genocide. The bill, which is expected to pass, provides for a one-year prison term and a fine of $58,000 (45,000 euros) to anyone who publicly denies it was genocide.

The vote in the French National Assembly has stirred a diplomatic frenzy and French and Turkish politicians are jumping into the fray.

[...]

Ersin Onulduran, chairman of the department of international relations at Ankara University, told Today's Zaman, a Turkish daily, that “only historians and archival experts should pass judgment on the merits of historical events.”

Although there is little consensus, Armenians say that about 1.5 million people were killed during the mass deportations of 1915-16.

The Turkish government acknowledges the death of many Armenians, yet, it denies that Ottoman forces deliberately exterminated them. Turkey considers the numbers as inflated and says that Turks were also killed due to the upheaval that followed the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Globa...enocide-denial

Is questioning the number of 1.5million considered denial?

[Jack]

Free speech >>>>>> detriment from denial

[PeterL]

Did the folks in Turkey repeal the law that makes it a crime to use the word "genocide" in relation to the Armenian situation?

Folks in the EU don't want Turkey to join for several reasons, the biggest of which is that Turks are the European version of our "Mexican" illegal immigrants. Letting Turkey join would mean that they can no longer hold deportation over the migrant workers.

[Dismal Science]

These restrictions of free speech end up looking ridiculous.

Do we need laws to criminalize the denial of gravity's existence or a heliocentric solar system?

[MountainHawk]

Originally Posted by Dismal Science

These restrictions of free speech end up looking ridiculous.

Do we need laws to criminalize the denial of gravity's existence or a heliocentric solar system?

Give it time, once the Bible Belt has banned evolution, they'll move on to those other things.

[FormLetter]

What a ridiculous attack on free speech.

[Uncle Ted]

Originally Posted by MountainHawk

Give it time, once the Bible Belt has banned evolution, they'll move on to those other things.

I don't think you said what you meant to say....

[JasonScandopolous]

People who ban this (and holocaust denial) are only giving legitimacy to the idea (amongst conspiracy theorist types) that the government is covering something up. If something is obvious, then let it stand on its own merits, and counter rhetoric with rhetoric when it arises.

[llcooljabe]

Unfortunately the US is unique in these types of situations. Even in canada they have "human rights tribunals" to protect the populace from being offended.

It seems that the right not to be offended supercedes the right of free speech.

As Jason says above, riduculousness will fall flat on its own merits.

[ElDucky]

The days of the tribunals are numbered.