Turkish politician guilty of racism

[Gavur]

Swiss court finds Turkish politician guilty of racism for denying Armenian genocide
The Associated Press
Published: March 9, 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...Politician.php

LAUSANNE, Switzerland: A prominent Turkish politician was found guilty Friday of breaching Swiss anti-racism laws by saying that the early 20th century killing of Armenians could not be described as genocide.

Dogu Perincek, leader of the Turkish Workers' Party, was ordered by a Swiss court to pay a fine of 3,000 Swiss francs (US$2,450; €1,870) and was given a suspended penalty of 9,000 francs (US$7,360; €5,600).

Perincek was charged with breaking Swiss law by denying during a visit to Switzerland in 2005 that the World War I-era killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians amounted to genocide.

He has since repeated his claim, including at his trial earlier this week.

Switzerland's anti-racism legislation has previously been applied to Holocaust denial.

The case has caused diplomatic tension between the alpine republic and Turkey, which insists Armenians were killed in civil unrest during the tumultuous collapse of the Ottoman Empire and not in a planned campaign of genocide.

Perincek can appeal the ruling to Switzerland's highest court.

[Hovik]

Switzerland: Armenian Genocide Denier Fined

SWITZERLAND: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIER FINED

-- Unprecedented Swiss Legal Victory Paves the way for EU Legislation Criminalizing Genocide Denial --

The chairman of the Turkish Workers Party, Dogu Perincek was fined 3,000 CHF and forced to pay another 1,000 in damages to the Switzerland-Armenia Association by a Lausanne criminal court for having twice publicly denied the Armenian Genocide inside the Swiss Confederation.

Moreover, he will have to pay for the trial expenses of both the public ministry (5,800 CHF) and to the Swiss Armenia Association (10 000 CHF). The court also imposed a fine of 100 CHF/day for a period of 90 days. This last penalty was suspended but could come into force, or be escalated into a jail term if he repeats his offense during the next 24 months.

Dogu Perincek immediately said that he will appeal the verdict, which he termed as “racist and imperialist.”

The initial strategy of Perincek, i.e. to question the reality of the Armenian Genocide, completely failed to convince the court. The prosecutor made the case that genocide recognitions had been made by numerous national Parliaments. Similarly, the court focused on the racial motivation of Perincek’s positions, as he gave evidence for this motivation even during the trial.
Therefore, the court followed the prosecutor’s request and Perincek was found guilty of having infringed article 261-2 of the Penal code, which sanctions the justification, gross minimization, or the denial of genocides.

This is the first time that Armenian genocide denial has been condemned as such by a penal court and represents the first time that the genocide has been established by a court of criminal law.
“At the time when the European Union is considering EU legislation aiming at penalizing genocide denial, the Swiss case shows the path the follow, i.e. the one in which denials of all clear instances of genocides are fined – including those, such as the Armenian genocide, which had never been previously sanctioned by an international jurisdiction,” stated Hilda Tchoboian, chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

“It is of an utmost importance that the court understood and recognized the defendant’s racist motivation because, actually, there is no genocide denial which is not based on racist ideologies: denial is merely the continuation of genocide by other means” concluded Tchoboian.

The European Armenian Federation sends its warmest congratulations to Sarkis Shahinian and to the Switzerland Armenia Association which initiated this legal proceeding and were parties to this action.

####

[Gavur]

What good is a law ,if it's used in-sincerely?
That is the difference between our's and their's.

Just like possesion represants 9/10th's of ownership,so does intention represants 9/10th's of the law's sincerity or the application of it.

Turkish bigwigs don't want dialog, they want confrontational dialogue thats why their law's and their action's are so insincere.

Can 72 million apoligize to 6 million ? I think yes by their actions iniatilly by disassociating themselves from their "Glorious" past.

Tear down that wall of lies Mr. Erdogan
and then we'll see how we can together put back the uncorrupted bricks back together which certainly includes Armenians.We as the ethnic peoples of Ottoman empire we're the cornestone of those lands and that foundation stone is certainly missing and you know it.
Answer those questions submitted by the gomidas instutute re:missing ottoman archives as a goverment that reprasents the interest of TR and its people its your duty.We want direct answers no excuses or diversions or your opinions of what may or not have happened.

The future definition of what it means to be a Turk (forget Ataturks definition he's long gone) is not ours but in your hand's .

[Gavur]

Convicted Turkish Denialist Becomes
Unwitting Publicist for Genocide

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg181172.html

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
A Swiss Court last week found Dogu Perincek, the leader of the radical
leftist Turkish Workers' Party, guilty of denying the Armenian Genocide. Perincek is
described by prominent Turkish historian Halil Berktay as a "former Marxist,
Maoist turned ultra-nationalist, ultra statist, [and] ultra-militarist."
Two years ago, he was detained and interrogated in Switzerland after stating
that the Armenian Genocide was "an imperialist lie." He then dared the Swiss
authorities to try him on charges of denying a genocide that he claimed never
occurred.
Perincek arrived in Switzerland last week with a planeload of his fanatical
supporters who describe themselves as members of the "Talat Pasha Committee."
He claimed that he had brought with him 90 kilos (over 200 pounds) of
"irrefutable" Russian and Armenian documents that backed his denials of the Armenian
Genocide. In advance of the trial, he repeatedly expressed his conviction that
he would be able to prove in court, once and for all, that the Armenian
Genocide "was a lie," thus forcing the Swiss to abolish the law banning the denial of
the genocide.
Testifying on behalf of Perincek in court were four notorious Turkophiles:
Prof. Justin McCarthy from the United States; Norman Stone, a British denialist
who teaches in Turkey; Jean-Michel Thibaux, a Frenchman who recently moved to
Turkey, Turkified his name and became a Turkish citizen; and Prof. Paul
Leidinger from Germany. Testifying against Perincek were genocide specialists Yves
Ternon and Raymond Kevorkian from France and Tessa Hofmann from Germany.
In a pointed reference to the load of documents presented by Perincek, the
Swiss prosecutor told the court: "90 kilos of paper do not wipe out 90 years of
history; and one million pages cannot get rid of one million victims."
Judge Pierre-Henri Winzap was not too impressed either by Perincek's
documents or the arguments presented by the four pro-Turkish academics. The Judge
stated that the denial of the accepted historical fact of the Armenian Genocide
was an arrogant provocation. In fact, the Swiss Parliament had recognized the
Armenian Genocide in 2003, despite heavy pressure from the Turkish government.
The Judge fined Perincek $7,350 in lieu of a 90-day suspended jail term,
ordered him to pay a $2,450 fine and $4,750 for court costs.
In addition, the court warned Perincek that should he deny the Armenian
Genocide again within the next 24 months, he could face imprisonment. Perincek thus
became the first person to be convicted under Switzerland's anti-racism law
for denying the Armenian Genocide. Article 261bis of the Swiss penal code --
which outlaws the denial, minimization or justification of genocide -- was
heretofore applied only to those who denied the Jewish Holocaust.
Perincek's supporters tried unsuccessfully to pressure the Swiss judiciary by
holding noisy rallies outside the courthouse, waving large Turkish flags and
banners. In a highly inappropriate move, the Turkish Justice Minister Cemil
Cicek met with his Swiss counterpart Christoph Blocher in Bern during the
weekend before the trial. Blocher, who is the leader of the right-wing Swiss Popular
Party, was severely criticized by Swiss politicians and the media for having
suggested in October 2006 during a visit to Turkey that this particular Swiss
law should be dropped.
Next in line to be tried for having denied the Armenian Genocide during an
earlier visit to Switzerland could be Yusuf Halacoglu, the head of the
Historical Society of Turkey. Contrary to Perincek's defiant behavior, openly
challenging the Swiss authorities to try him in court, Halacoglu has been reticent to
return to Switzerland fearing interrogation and possible detention.
The Switzerland-Armenia Association (SAA) and its co-president, Sarkis
Shahinian should be commended for initiating the court proceeding against Perincek
and sparing no effort in attaining this successful outcome. Given the special
role of the SAA in this case, the Judge ordered Perincek to pay to the Swiss
Armenian organization an additional $9,000 for legal expenses and "moral
compensation."
Clearly, this court case is bound to have far-reaching consequences for the
Armenian Cause. For years, Turkish denialists gleefully noted that the Armenian
Genocide could not be qualified as such, since there were no court verdicts
to that effect. Furthermore, this verdict transcended the conviction of
Perincek as a lone Turkish individual. There were several indications that the
Turkish government itself was both directly and indirectly implicated in this
trial: Jean-Michel Thibaux, in responding to a question from the Judge, admitted
that he was contacted by the Turkish Foreign Ministry and asked to testify on
behalf of Perincek; several officials of the Turkish Consulate General in Geneva
attended the trial; and when the Judge asked Perincek to disclose his income,
he divulged that he merely earned about $2,500 a month. Despite his limited
income, Perincek somehow had managed to charter a large airliner to transport
his supporters from Turkey to Switzerland. Since it
was obvious that the Turkish authorities were backing Perincek in a variety
of ways, his conviction was a major setback for the Turkish state as well. In a
written statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry declared: "The court case was
inappropriate, groundless and controversial in every sense."
Fortunately, Perincek is now intent on doing even more damage to Turkish
denialism. He stated that he would appeal his conviction to a higher Swiss court,
and failing there, he would take his case to the European Court of Human
Rights in Strasbourg.
Should Perincek go through with his planned appeals and lose, Armenians would
score more significant
victories, attaining legal recognition of the Armenian Genocide in both Swiss
and European courts.

[Joseph]

1 - Commentary
Convicted Turkish Denialist Becomes
Unwitting Publicist for Genocide

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
A Swiss Court last week found Dogu Perincek, the leader of the radical
leftist Turkish Workers' Party, guilty of denying the Armenian Genocide. Perincek is
described by prominent Turkish historian Halil Berktay as a "former Marxist,
Maoist turned ultra-nationalist, ultra statist, [and] ultra-militarist."
Two years ago, he was detained and interrogated in Switzerland after stating
that the Armenian Genocide was "an imperialist lie." He then dared the Swiss
authorities to try him on charges of denying a genocide that he claimed never
occurred.
Perincek arrived in Switzerland last week with a planeload of his fanatical
supporters who describe themselves as members of the "Talat Pasha Committee."
He claimed that he had brought with him 90 kilos (over 200 pounds) of
"irrefutable" Russian and Armenian documents that backed his denials of the Armenian
Genocide. In advance of the trial, he repeatedly expressed his conviction that
he would be able to prove in court, once and for all, that the Armenian
Genocide "was a lie," thus forcing the Swiss to abolish the law banning the denial of
the genocide.
Testifying on behalf of Perincek in court were four notorious Turkophiles:
Prof. Justin McCarthy from the United States; Norman Stone, a British denialist
who teaches in Turkey; Jean-Michel Thibaux, a Frenchman who recently moved to
Turkey, Turkified his name and became a Turkish citizen; and Prof. Paul
Leidinger from Germany. Testifying against Perincek were genocide specialists Yves
Ternon and Raymond Kevorkian from France and Tessa Hofmann from Germany.
In a pointed reference to the load of documents presented by Perincek, the
Swiss prosecutor told the court: "90 kilos of paper do not wipe out 90 years of
history; and one million pages cannot get rid of one million victims."
Judge Pierre-Henri Winzap was not too impressed either by Perincek's
documents or the arguments presented by the four pro-Turkish academics. The Judge
stated that the denial of the accepted historical fact of the Armenian Genocide
was an arrogant provocation. In fact, the Swiss Parliament had recognized the
Armenian Genocide in 2003, despite heavy pressure from the Turkish government.
The Judge fined Perincek $7,350 in lieu of a 90-day suspended jail term,
ordered him to pay a $2,450 fine and $4,750 for court costs.
In addition, the court warned Perincek that should he deny the Armenian
Genocide again within the next 24 months, he could face imprisonment. Perincek thus
became the first person to be convicted under Switzerland's anti-racism law
for denying the Armenian Genocide. Article 261bis of the Swiss penal code --
which outlaws the denial, minimization or justification of genocide -- was
heretofore applied only to those who denied the Jewish Holocaust.
Perincek's supporters tried unsuccessfully to pressure the Swiss judiciary by
holding noisy rallies outside the courthouse, waving large Turkish flags and
banners. In a highly inappropriate move, the Turkish Justice Minister Cemil
Cicek met with his Swiss counterpart Christoph Blocher in Bern during the
weekend before the trial. Blocher, who is the leader of the right-wing Swiss Popular
Party, was severely criticized by Swiss politicians and the media for having
suggested in October 2006 during a visit to Turkey that this particular Swiss
law should be dropped.
Next in line to be tried for having denied the Armenian Genocide during an
earlier visit to Switzerland could be Yusuf Halacoglu, the head of the
Historical Society of Turkey. Contrary to Perincek's defiant behavior, openly
challenging the Swiss authorities to try him in court, Halacoglu has been reticent to
return to Switzerland fearing interrogation and possible detention.
The Switzerland-Armenia Association (SAA) and its co-president, Sarkis
Shahinian should be commended for initiating the court proceeding against Perincek
and sparing no effort in attaining this successful outcome. Given the special
role of the SAA in this case, the Judge ordered Perincek to pay to the Swiss
Armenian organization an additional $9,000 for legal expenses and "moral
compensation."
Clearly, this court case is bound to have far-reaching consequences for the
Armenian Cause. For years, Turkish denialists gleefully noted that the Armenian
Genocide could not be qualified as such, since there were no court verdicts
to that effect. Furthermore, this verdict transcended the conviction of
Perincek as a lone Turkish individual. There were several indications that the
Turkish government itself was both directly and indirectly implicated in this
trial: Jean-Michel Thibaux, in responding to a question from the Judge, admitted
that he was contacted by the Turkish Foreign Ministry and asked to testify on
behalf of Perincek; several officials of the Turkish Consulate General in Geneva
attended the trial; and when the Judge asked Perincek to disclose his income,
he divulged that he merely earned about $2,500 a month. Despite his limited
income, Perincek somehow had managed to charter a large airliner to transport
his supporters from Turkey to Switzerland. Since it
was obvious that the Turkish authorities were backing Perincek in a variety
of ways, his conviction was a major setback for the Turkish state as well. In a
written statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry declared: "The court case was
inappropriate, groundless and controversial in every sense."
Fortunately, Perincek is now intent on doing even more damage to Turkish
denialism. He stated that he would appeal his conviction to a higher Swiss court,
and failing there, he would take his case to the European Court of Human
Rights in Strasbourg.
Should Perincek go through with his planned appeals and lose, Armenians would
score more significant
victories, attaining legal recognition of the Armenian Genocide in both Swiss
and European courts.

[Gavur]

TURKISH CHAUVINIST APPEALS AGAINST SWISS COURT'S VERDICT










Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 13 2007

ANKARA, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. Chairman of Turkish
Workers Party Dogu Perincek appealed against the Swiss court's verdict,
by which he was convicted for denying the Armenian Genocide.

According to the Cihan Turkish news agency, Turkish chauvinist's
lawyer Loran Moreyon said that his defendant appealed against the
verdict at Vo canton provincial court.

To recap, on March 9, Perincek was sentenced to 90-day suspended
imprisonment and was fined in the amount of nearly 3000 USD bu the
Lausanne court for denying the Armenian Genocide.

[Gavur]

Royal has one condition: "recognize the genocide"

http://english.sabah.com.tr/5A428263CB9E42369AF0820D14E214F1.html

The most powerful candidate in the presidential election in France, Royal: "Turkey can access the EU if it recognizes the Armenian genocide."

Segolene Royal, the candidate from the Socialist Party spoke before the elections to be held this month: "Turkey should make progress about recognizing its crimes in the past. If I win the election, my official opinion for foreign affairs will be making the denial of the genocide a crime."



"Penalty for denying genocide" should become a law

France's powerful presidential candidate, Segolene Royal, mentioned the Armenian genocide in an interview with an Armenian magazine: "Turkey should recognize its crimes in the past to become a member of the EU."

The candidate from the Socialist party, Segolene Royal states: "we know that Turkey should make progress in regards to recognizing its crimes in the past. If I win the election, my official opinion on foreign affairs will be making the denial of a genocide a crime."

Royal, the strongest supporter of the Armenian genocide bill, made a commitment that the bill passed from in the parliament will be enforced as a law.

[Joseph]

I hope the French do it but Turkey has/will use actions such as that noted below to dissuade them


'Genocide' row threatens pipeline


Turkey has suspended talks with Gaz de France over a key gas pipeline, in protest at a French bill about the killing of Armenians in World War I.
The planned pipeline would carry natural gas from the Middle East and Central Asia to Austria through Turkey.

The French Parliament is considering a law that would make it an offence to deny that Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians.

The draft law was approved by the National Assembly in October.

It will be considered by the Senate next and then return to the lower house before it becomes law.

Turkish denials

The 4.6bn euro ($6.1bn; £3.1bn) Nabucco pipeline project is supposed to reduce the European Union's reliance on Russian gas.

It also passes through Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, which have already reached agreement with Gaz de France.

The Turkish government denies that as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed in systematic killings between 1915 and 1917 under the Ottoman Empire.

It says that thousands of Turks and Armenians were killed when Armenians sided with Russian troops invading the empire, but many countries have since recognised the killings as genocide.

The Nabucco pipeline also passes through Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, which have already reached agreement with Gaz de France.


Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/6529253.stm

Published: 2007/04/05 11:50:32 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[Joseph]

Turkish politician loses first appeal against Swiss racism conviction, says lawyer


© AP
2007-06-20 18:31:04 -

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - An appeals court has confirmed the sentence against a Turkish politician convicted of racism for denying that the early 20th century killing of Armenians was genocide, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Laurent Moreillon said Dogu Perincek, the leader of the Turkish Workers' Party, lost his first appeal at a court in


the canton (state) of Vaud, where a lower tribunal in March convicted and ordered him to pay a fine of 3,000 Swiss francs (US$2,450; ¤1,870).
Perincek, who was also given a suspended penalty of 9,000 francs (US$7,360; ¤5,600) and ordered to pay 1,000 francs (US$820; ¤620) to an Armenian association, had repeatedly denied during a visit to Switzerland in 2005 that the World War I-era killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians amounted to genocide.
Moreillon said Perincek would now appeal to the Federal Tribunal, Switzerland's supreme court.
The case was seen as a test of whether it is a violation of Switzerland's anti-racism law to deny that the Turks committed genocide in the killings. The legislation has previously been applied to Holocaust denial.

The case has caused diplomatic tension between the Alpine republic and Turkey, which insists Armenians were killed in civil unrest during the tumultuous collapse of the Ottoman Empire and not in a planned campaign of genocide.
Turkey has called the case against Perincek «inappropriate, baseless and debatable in every circumstance.

[Joseph]

Swiss court finds Turks guilty for denying Armenian genocide
AFP



Tuesday, October 21, 2008


GENEVA - A Swiss court on Tuesday ruled that three Turks were guilty of racial discrimination after having claimed that the Armenian genocide was an "international lie."

Ali Mercan, the Europe-based representative of the Party of Turkish Workers, was sentenced to pay a fine of 4,500 Swiss francs ($3,900) by the district tribunal of Winterthur.

Two others were ordered to pay 3,600 Swiss francs each for complicity in the racial discrimination.

During a demonstration in June last year, Mercan had denied that the Armenian genocide had taken place. The other two Turks were co-organizers of the demonstration.

All three said during the court case that they were ready "at any time" to organize a new demonstration and to take the same line.

In April, Armenia's president vowed to redouble efforts to have mass killings of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire recognized as genocide, a label staunchly rejected by Turkey.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in orchestrated killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey says 300,000 Armenians and at least an equal number of Turks were killed in civil strife when the Christian Armenians, backed by Russia, rose up against the Ottomans.
© AFP 2008