Turkish party leader released after Armenian genocide remarks in Swiss

[Hovik]

Turkish party leader released after Armenian genocide remarks in Swiss

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
24 Jul 05

Winterthur, 24 July: Labour Party (IP) leader Dogu Perincek was
detained on Saturday [23 July] in Wintherthur city of Switzerland,
where he attended a panel discussion held to mark the 82nd anniversary
of the Lausanne Treaty.

Speaking to Turkish reporters, Wintherthur police spokesman Werner
Benz said that Perincek was detained and interrogated for saying
"Armenian genocide is an international lie".

Perincek was released after being interrogated for more than three
hours.

After he was freed, Perincek told Turkish reporters that he insisted
on his views that "Armenian genocide is a lie" during his
interrogation.

According to sources, Perincek's interrogation was concluded in 15
minutes, but it lasted for more than three hours because Perincek
wanted Swiss authorities to include his statements about "1915
incidents and the so-called Armenian genocide allegations of some
foreign powers" in his text of testimony.

Perincek added: "I was detained for a press conference I held in
Zurich" and noted that he told prosecutor Jaeger during the
interrogation that parliaments could not make decisions on historical
incidents. I also said that an impartial country like Switzerland,
which has not joined any conspiracies against Turkey, cannot pass such
a law because it is against its own constitution. And, these words
were included in the text of my testimony."

[Hovik]

Turkish foreign minister faults Swiss for party leader's detention

BBC Monitoring Service
Jul 24, 2005

Text of report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul expressed on Sunday [24 July]
regret about detention of Labour Party (IP) leader Dogu Perincek in
Wintherthur city of Switzerland, and said this was "unacceptable".

Foreign Ministry officials told AA [Anatolia] correspondent that Gul
said that the stance of Swiss authorities "was incompatible with the
principle of freedom of expression, which was one of the most
important values of the modern world".

Gul said that they would decide on further steps to be taken according
to information they received from Switzerland and their assessments.

Perincek was detained last night for saying "Armenian genocide is an
international lie" in a press conference he held in Wintherthur the
previous day. He was released after being interrogated for more than
three hours.

[Hovik]

'ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS A GREAT INTERNATIONAL LIE'

Azg/arm
27 July 05

Perincek Arrested in Switzerland for This Statement

July 24 marked 82 years of the Lausanne Treaty, which recognized
modern Turkey's territorial wholeness and independence by legalizing
national wars waged by Kemal Ataturk. This anniversary was celebrated
in Turkey and Switzerland with special bustle. Interestingly, the
arrangements on this occasion were organized by oppositional
Republican People's Party and Democratic Left Party of Turkey and
Workers' Party of Switzerland.

Turkish Public Television saw the reason of the celebration in the
recent fact of casting doubt on the Lausanne Treaty The pro-government
Yeni Safak newspaper labeled the arrangements a provocative act
against Justice and Prosperity Party from forces fighting for purity
of Kemalic principles, pointing out meanwhile that the celebration
turned into demonstration of power.

The Lausanne-2005 arrangements in Winterthur and Lausanne on July
23-24 pulled in not only members of the Workers Party, Kemalist-Minded
Union and Turks of Europe but also a group of 200 scientists and
public figures from Turkey including the former president of "Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus", Rauf Denktas. They rallied in Lausanne
chanting "Long Live Independent Turkey", "Down With American
Imperialism" that slipped smoothly into crosswords.

Hurriyet newspaper informs that the president of Turkish History
Foundation, Yusuf Halacoglu, also expressed willingness to take part
in the arrangements but stood back after Swiss authorities' decision
to detain him. He is wanted by the Swiss police for rejecting the
Armenian Genocide. "Armenian genocide is a great international lie",
chairman of the Workers' Party Dogu Perincek backed Halacoglu on May
7.

On July 23, when Perincek was repeating this statement in Winterthur,
law-enforcers sanctioned by the prosecutor of the town arrested him in
the hall and bundled off to the Prosecutor's Office. Interrogation
lasted 3.5 hours. Perincek was released after the Turkish Foreign
Ministry interfered.

Foreign minister Abdullah Gul condemned arrests of leaders of Turkish
political parties and said answering Hurriyet's question, "Having
learned about the arrest of Perincek, we interfered
immediately. Turkish consul-general to Zurich, Mehmed Emre, witnessed
his interrogation. I was informing PM Erdogan all night through. Such
an approach to Turkish party leaders is unacceptable".

By Hakob Chakrian

[Hovik]

Such
an approach to Turkish party leaders is unacceptable"

Yes of course, we should never punish a "Turkish party leader" for breaking the law should we... at least for the mere fact that he is a "Turkish party leader" - that alone should be enough for him to get away with any damn thing he wants - ass.

[Hovik]

Agence France Presse -- English
July 25, 2005 Monday 10:28 AM GMT

Turkish FM slams Swiss for detaining politician over Armenian remarks

ANKARA July 25

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Monday lashed out at
Switzerland for briefly detaining a Turkish politician who said that
massacres of Armenians during World War I did not amount to genocide.

"This treatment of the chairman of a Turkish political party is
unacceptable," Gul said in an interview with the large circulation
daily Hurriyet, published Monday.

"Does this suit a country like Switzerland, which says it upholds
contemporary values? We were very saddened."

Dogu Perincek, leader of the small left-wing Workers' Party, was
questioned for more than three hours Saturday in the Swiss town of
Winterthur, where he was taking part in activities marking the 82nd
anniversary of the Lausanne Treaty, the founding accord of modern-day
Turkey.

Winterthur police spokesman Werner Benz said Saturday that Perincek
was questioned for saying "The Armenian genocide is an international
lie," a remark deemed racist under Swiss law, the Anatolia news
agency reported.

"This assertion contravenes anti-racism norms and constitutes a crime
under Swiss law," a Zurich police official said Sunday.

Perincek already faces a complaint lodged in mid-July by the
Swiss-Armenian Association following a speech he gave in May, when he
said no genocide of Armenians ever took place.

Two months ago, the Turkish press reported that judicial authorities
in Winterthur had also launched an investigation against the head of
the Turkish History Foundation, Yusuf Halacoglu, for rejecting at a
conference there last year claims that Armenians were the victims of
genocide by Turks.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in orchestrated
killings between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor
of Turkey, was falling apart.

Turkey categorically denies genocide claims and says 300,000
Armenians and as many Turks were killed in civil strife during World
War I when the Armenians, backed by Russia, rose up against their
Ottoman rulers.

Much to Ankara's anger, the killings have already been classified as
genocide by a number of countries including Canada, France and Switzerland.

[Hovik]

"Does this suit a country like Switzerland, which says it upholds
contemporary values? We were very saddened."

Oh Turkey Turkey Turkey you brainless Turkey. Shall we talk about your "contemporary values"? Such as the Horrid Torture that takes place in your prisons that looks more like from the dark ages? YOU TURKEY are questioning SWITZERLANDS values, while you are so childish, narcessistic, and armenophobic you can't even recognize a FACT like the Armenian Genocide that (even though you didn't commit) you are strangely sensitive about? Come on, you are the last person ANYWHERE NEAR europe to talk about contemporary values. And of course, anyone who promotes a dialogue that doesn't fall in line with yours, will ALWAYS be CrAzY in your guilty eyes - thats the ONLY reason you lash out at Swiss - how pathetic. Turkey you are a sad, pathetic loser. If your country was a human (as if) - we would look between your big fat legs and say - where are the BAL_S? The world media would all look at Turkey and a new story would be born in an instant - every newspaper in the world's headlines would read "Where the hell are TURKEYS BAL_S???" You show the world that your country is like a spoild infant child! HAHAHA All you care about is yoruself, and if anyone does something you don't like you cry like a little infant who doesn't get its way.

Denialists are a bunch of sad, pathetic, denialist losers. What a legacy you are leaving for your nation, for your grand children, for their grandchildren, is that how you want them to remember you - the pseudo-nationalists who stood up to the world on the filthy (and oh so wobbly) defense that your government spews at you so that they won't lose their riches - while the rest of your country lives in poverty - is that patriotism??? Or are you creating something new, some sort of "Turkish patroitism" - the most pathetic and self-degrading in form?

[Hovik]

Turkey and its denialists, I just want to say "Thanks for being there for us" you are like the crazy retarded uncle we never had - and frankly - never wanted. But at least your rediculous stunts keep the world laughing - at you.

[Hovik]

And don't talk about insulting your national identity. If anyone is guilty of such a crime you yoursleves should put your denialists to death.

[Gavur]

borderline of hunger

TURKEY. Hurriet of 8 Nov. '03 writes: "According to international standards, 12.2 million Turks live at or below the borderline of hunger. The Turkish National Institute of Statistics confirms these numbers, adding that these individuals, who comprise 17.8% of the population, live on a family income of one dollar per day or less. Another 19.8% of the population, or 13.5 million people, live on a combined family income of two dollars per day. A more "financially comfortable" segment, comprising 20% of the population, lives on nine dollars and thirty cents per day, whereas the average daily family income is three dollars and eighty cents.