Report: News on Turkish Politician Genocide Denier who was detianed in Switzerland

[Hovik]

Report: Turkish FM criticizes Switzerland for detaining Turkish
politician

AP Worldstream; Jul 25, 2005


Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul criticized Switzerland for
briefly detaining a Turkish politician on suspicion of violating Swiss
anti-racism laws by denying that the killings of Armenians around the
time of World War I amounted to genocide, a newspaper reported Monday.

"It is not possible for us to accept these things to be done to the
leader of a political party in Turkey," Gul was quoted saying in
Hurriyet newspaper. "Do these actions suit a country like
Switzerland?"

Switzerland briefly detained and launched a criminal investigation
into Dogu Perincek, leader of Turkey's Workers' Party last week after
a speech he held in the Swiss town of Opfikon-Glattburg, in the canton
(state) of Winterthur.

In the speech honoring the 82nd anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne,
which fixed the borders of modern-day Turkey, Perincek called claims
of genocide against the Armenians an imperialist lie, Swiss
authorities said.

Under Swiss law, any act of denying, belittling or justifying genocide
is a violation of the country's anti-racism laws.

Armenians say 1.5 million of their people were killed as the Ottoman
Empire forced them from eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923 _ and
that this was a deliberate campaign of genocide by Turkey's rulers at
that time.

Turks say the death count is inflated and insist that Armenians were
killed or displaced as the Ottoman Empire tried to secure its border
with Russia and stop attacks by Armenian militants.

Switzerland and Turkey have squared off in the past over the killings.

[Hovik]

Turkey summons Swiss envoy over genocide-denier's detention

Anatolia news agency
27 Jul 05

Ankara, 27 July: Turkey has conveyed its uneasiness over Swiss
attitude against Labour Party (IP) leader Dogu Perincek by inviting
Swiss Ambassador in Ankara Walter Gyger to the Turkish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA).

According to sources, MFA Deputy Undersecretary Nabi Sensoy has
conveyed Turkey's disappointment over Perincek's being taken into
custody by Swiss prosecutor under charges that Perincek refused to
recognize the so-called Armenian genocide.

During the meeting between Sensoy and Gyger, Sensoy reminded Gyger
that the events of 1915 were not a genocide. According to the
international treaty of 1948 on the prevention and punishment of
genocide, in order to name an incident genocide, certain conditions
must prevail and an international court decides on the matter. To this
day, there is no decision by an international court that 1915
witnessed a genocide.

Sensoy informed Gyger that the Swiss attitude would block freedom of
expression and such an attitude would hurt bilateral ties.

Perincek was detained after making the remark that "Armenian genocide
is an international lie" in a press conference held in Swiss city of
Winterthur on 23 July.

[Hovik]

TURKEY ADDRESSES NOTE TO SWITZERLAND ON PERINCEK CASE

Azg/arm
28 July 05

Armenian Genocide denial is a punishable offence in Switzerland. 3
years in prison await every denier according to the penal code of the
country. In this regard, it was not strange perhaps that the chairman
of Workers' Party, Dogu Perincek, was detained for interrogation in
Winterthur, July 23.

Perincek was detained for "Armenian genocide is a great international
lie" statement uttered during celebration of 82d anniversary of the
Lausanne Treaty. He was release after Turkish Foreign Ministry
interfered.

Among the set of measures that Turkish authorities took concerning
this incident, Turkish NTV singles out on July 27 Turkey's note that
is to be handed to Swiss ambassador to Ankara and to Swiss authorities
in Berlin today. While Switzerland is still to respond to the Turkish
note, the Perincek case is still under investigation in Winterthur,
otherwise NTV wouldn't says, "Even if Perincek case gets suspended,
Turkey will still push for the note".

Dogu Perincek, former convict, is a Maoist. He organized the march in
Switzerland together with Turkish nationalists. As the majority of
Turkish Maoists, Perincek seems also to enjoy good relations with
secret services of Turkey.

By Hakob Chakrian

[Hovik]

Ties with Switzerland may sour again over Perinçek

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

DIPLOMACY


ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

The detention of Workers' Party (IP) leader Dogu Perinçek in
Switzerland over remarks he made denying allegations of an Armenian
genocide, following a probe into a Turkish historian over the same
issue, will not contribute positively to political relations between
Turkey and Switzerland, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said
yesterday.

Perinçek was detained over the weekend on suspicion of violating Swiss
anti-racism laws by denying allegations that Armenians were victims of
genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the
last century.

Perinçek was delivering a speech at a conference on Friday in the
Swiss town of Opfikon-Glattburg on the 82nd anniversary of the signing
of the Lausanne Treaty, which lays the foundation of the modern Turkish
Republic.

The politician was released after being questioned at the prosecutor's
office in the canton of Winterthur for more than three hours.

Turkish officials said Swiss ambassador in Ankara would be summoned to
the Foreign Ministry today (Wednesday) and the Turkish ambassador in
Bern would have contacts at the Swiss Foreign Ministry in the same day
on the issue, but added that there was no plan to deliver a note of
protest to the Swiss authorities at the moment.

`Turkey will adopt a position in accordance with a decision to be made
by the Swiss prosecutor. That is to say, we will see whether the
prosecutor files a public case or quashes the charge,' Tan said at the
weekly press conference earlier in the day in response to a question
whether the Swiss ambassador in Ankara might be summoned to the Foreign
Ministry to protest the Swiss move.

`However, it is evident that the emergence of a second incident after
that of Mr. Halaçoglu will not contribute to good relations. We'll
follow closely the developments both in Ankara and in Berne,' Tan added.

Perinçek is the second Turkish citizen to have experienced a similar
situation in Switzerland for denying the alleged genocide. An inquiry
was opened in May into Yusuf Halaçoglu, head of the Turkish Historical
Society (TTK), for public remarks in Switzerland on the so-called
Armenian genocide.

In comments over Perinçek's detention, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül
has expressed regret and said it was unacceptable.

Switzerland and Turkey have had disagreements in the past over the
alleged genocide. In June, a Turkish Cabinet minister postponed a visit
to Switzerland in protest of the Swiss investigation into Halaçoglu.

Micheline Calmy-Rey, the Swiss foreign minister, had been scheduled to
travel to Turkey in 2003, but Turkey withdrew its invitation after the
parliament of a western Swiss canton recognized the killings of
Armenians in Turkey as genocide. Calmy-Rey eventually visited Turkey in
March.

[Tongue]

I seriously think we should write a letter thanking them for this... Maybe Bush can learn a little from Switzerland!

[Hovik]

Armenian Issue: Switzerland Surprised At Turkey's Protests

PanArmenian News Network
July 29 2005

ARMENIAN ISSUE: SWITZERLAND SURPRISED AT TURKEY'S PROTESTS


29.07.2005 04:58

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Federal department of the Swiss Foreign Ministry
supported the adaptability of the Swiss legislative against Chairman
of the Turkish Labor Party Dogu Perincek, who has publicly denied the
Armenian Genocide, Tagblatt daily reports. After the Turkish Foreign
Ministry subjected to sharp criticism Swiss Ambassador to Turkey
Walter B. Gyger met with the head of the Swiss MFA department of
foreign affairs, who was extremely surprised at the ongoing protests
of the Turkish party. The Swiss Penal Code says that denial,
understatement or approval of genocide and crimes against humanity
are penal actions. Nevertheless Switzerland welcomed the proposal by
the Turkish government on formation of a joint Armenian-Turkish
commission to investigate the fact of the Armenian Genocide.

[Hovik]

Swiss Parliamentarian: Turkey Bound To Acknowledge Armenian Genocide

PanArmenian News Network
July 29 2005

SWISS PARLIAMENTARIAN: TURKEY BOUND TO ACKNOWLEDGE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

29.07.2005 04:30

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Chairman of the commission for foreign affairs of
the Swiss House of Representatives Ervin Jutset stated that Turkey
must acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, otherwise it will face
serious problems with the EU. In his words, Turkey should abandon its
tone of aggression and blackmail and proceed to reform. When
commenting on the criminal prosecution against Chairman of the
Turkish Union of Historians Yusuf Ghalaoghlu and Chairman of the
Turkish Labor Party Dogu Perincek, who keep on denying the Armenian
Genocide, the Swiss parliamentarian that unless Turkey assumes the
responsibility for the Armenian Genocide it will perceive any events
of the kind oversensitively, Yerkir online reports.

[Hovik]

Turkey Protests Switzerland's Detention Of Perincek

Turkish Press
July 29 2005

Press Review

HURRIYET

TURKEY PROTESTS SWITZERLAND'S DETENTION OF PERINCEK

Turkey yesterday filed an official protest of Switzerland's detention
last week of Turkish Worker's Party (IP) leader Dogu Perincek for
denying the so-called Armenian genocide. Turkey filed the protest in
both Ankara and Bern. Swiss Ambassador to Ankara Waltre Gyger was
summoned by Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Nabi Sensoy to the
ministry to receive Ankara's protest. In addition, Turkish Ambassador
to Bern Alev Kilic went to the Swiss Foreign Ministry to deliver the
protest. `Saying that the incidents of 1915 were not genocide is not
a crime,' said the protest. `If it was, Switzerland's stance would
violate the freedom of expression, one of our bedrock rights and
freedoms. Such deplorable treatment of a Turkish citizen threatens to
seriously damage relations between our countries.' /Hurriyet/

[Hovik]

Report: Turkey may block Swiss politician's planned visit

Report: Turkey may block Swiss politician's planned visit

.c The Associated Press


ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) - Turkey may block a planned visit of
Switzerland's economics minister, a Swiss newspaper reported Sunday,
the latest episode in a long-running diplomatic dispute between the
two governments.

The Turkish ambassador to Switzerland, Alev Kilic, told NZZ am Sonntag
he couldn't rule out that Joseph Deiss' September trip would be
canceled.

At the core of the dispute are Turkey's killings of Armenians around
the time of World War I, considered by the Swiss and some other
governments to have amounted to genocide - something Ankara fiercely
denies.

Ankara was angered two weeks ago when Swiss authorities launched an
investigation into a visiting Turkish politician, Dogu Perincek, who
said the killings weren't genocide.

Under Switzerland's anti-racism laws, denying genocide is a crime, and
Perincek was briefly detained after his speech.

Last week, Turkey called the Swiss ambassador to the Foreign Ministry
to protest Perincek's detention and investigation.

In the NZZ am Sonntag interview, Kilic said the investigation was an
attempt to squelch free speech and sent a ``grave signal'' to Turks
living in Switzerland to ``keep their mouths shut.''

Meanwhile, Perincek reiterated his earlier comments in an interview
with another Swiss newspaper on Sunday.

``There has never been a genocide, that is an international historic
lie,'' he told SonntagsBlick.

Similar disputes have erupted in the past between Turkey and
Switzerland.

In June, a Turkish Cabinet minister postponed a visit to Switzerland
to protest an investigation of a Turkish historian who denied the
killings were a genocide.

The Swiss foreign minister had been scheduled to travel to Turkey in
2003, but Turkey withdrew its invitation after the parliament of a
western Swiss canton (state) approved a motion calling the killings a
genocide.



07/31/05 08:58 EDT

[Hovik]

Perinçek once more denies Armenian genocide

Swissinfo, Switzerland
July 31 2005

Perinçek once more denies Armenian genocide


Turkish politician Doğu Perinçek, under investigation in
Switzerland for denying Armenian genocide, has compared Swiss law
with that of the Inquisition.

In a newspaper interview published on Sunday, Perinçek repeated his
revisionist views and called for Swiss anti-racism legislation to be
scrapped.

The head of Turkey's Workers' Party told the SonntagsBlick that the
legislation went against fundamental rights and the freedom of
speech.

He added that as a result, Switzerland was losing Turkish friendship
and respect from the rest of the world.

Under Swiss law, any act of denying, belittling or justifying
genocide is a violation of the country's anti-racism laws.

Perinçek's party obtained 0.51 per cent of the vote in Turkey's last
legislative elections in November 2002. There is therefore no party
member in Turkey's Grand National Assembly.

Treaty of Lausanne

"There was no Armenian genocide," he told the SonntagsBlick. Perinçek
had also expressed his revisionist views last weekend at celebrations
in western Switzerland marking the anniversary of the 1923 Treaty of
Lausanne, which defined the borders of modern-day Turkey.

Perinçek said he knew that Switzerland had anti-racism laws but did
not believe his remarks amounted to provocation. He felt "duty-bound"
to express them.

The politician compared the threat of a conviction with his
experiences in Turkish jails.

"Switzerland is worse than Turkey," he said.

Perinçek is the subject of two investigations into suspected
violation of Swiss anti-racism laws. A similar investigation has been
opened in the case of Turkish historian Yusuf Halaçoğlu.

Strong criticism

The Turkish government in Ankara has strongly criticised the Swiss
action.

Switzerland's ambassador to Turkey, Walter Gyger, was summoned to the
Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday, while Turkey's envoy to Bern,
Alev Kiliç was called to the Swiss foreign ministry the following
day.

On Sunday, Kiliç warned against limiting the freedom of speech.

"The fact that the Swiss authorities open such investigations is a
serious signal to Turks who live or come to Switzerland. It means
they have to keep their mouths shut," he told the NZZ am Sonntag
newspaper.

A Swiss foreign ministry communiqué on Thursday said that the
government had always "regretted and condemned the tragic
deportations and massacres of Armenians" in the final phase of the
Ottoman Empire.

The government also welcomed a suggestion from Ankara to create a
commission of Turkish and Armenian historians to study the issue.

The House of Representatives is the only federal institution that has
officially recognised the Armenian genocide.