Politician takes on Armenia in ‘genocide’ denial case
by Yusuf Ziya Durmuş
ISTANBULJan 27, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Yusuf Ziya Durmuş
Jan 27, 2015 12:00 am
Turkish opposition Labor Party leader Doğu Perinçek left for Strasbourg on Tuesday where he will attend an appeal hearing by Armenia over his denial of the Armenian "genocide."
Perinçek was cleared of charges of racial discrimination and genocide denial by a Swiss court where he made remarks defining the Armenian "genocide" as an "international lie." Armenia decided to be a co-plaintiff in the case at the next hearing on January 28.
The politician, known for his fervent stance against the allegations of genocide, was found guilty by a Swiss court in 2007 after he made a speech calling the genocide "an international lie" during an event in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2005. A Swiss court ruled that his remarks had racist motives, pointing to anti-racism laws in place that criminalize the denial of genocide. In a 2013 decision in favor of Perinçek, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Swiss legislation criminalizing the denial of genocide violated the principle of freedom of expression. However, the ECtHR approved an appeal by Switzerland to the ruling last June, much to the chagrin of Ankara, which described the move as "politically motivated."
Speaking at the airport in Istanbul as he left for Strasbourg, Perinçek, accompanied by 200 members of his party and opposition Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Masum Türker, said he expected the court to uphold the previous ruling. "It is difficult to issue a fair ruling where a firmly entrenched prejudice on the matter exists. The second chamber of the court had issued a bold verdict in 2013 and we expect the Grand Chamber to issue such a ruling. We are confident that it will come out because we are right and both truth and justice are on our side. We trust the grand tradition of freedom in Europe, in France," he said.
In remarks to Daily Sabah last month, Perinçek had underlined that the case is not just about freedom of expression and claimed the previous ruling by the ECtHR made clear that the 1915 incidents cannot be defined as genocide, "for instance, like the Holocaust."
"As I was preparing my defense, people told me to focus on my right of freedom of expression instead of saying that the genocide did not take place, but I did not. Eventually, the court issued an extraordinary ruling. The Turkish government lauded it and described it as a landmark [decision], a revolting verdict," he said. "Indeed, this case put an end to the debate on a century-old issue and the court issued a very brave verdict," he stated.
Perinçek, whose party pursues a strict anti-American policy, claimed the court's ruling dealt a blow to the U.S. and European countries advocating the acceptance of the Armenian genocide. "They were staunch defenders of [calling it] genocide, even more than the Armenian diaspora," he said.
Armenia claims up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in an act of genocide by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 during World War I. Turkey accepts mass deaths of Armenians during their forced deportation during the war but claims the death toll was much lower and attributes mass deaths to diseases and isolated cases of attacks. Ankara has also urged Armenia to let historians handle the matter, though Armenia demands recognition of the genocide in order to advance relations between the two neighboring countries.
Doğu Perinçek's ability to travel abroad was denied earlier by a court due to his past conviction in another trial. A court in Istanbul ruled on January 19 that the ban was lifted as Perinçek's case was of national interest rather than his personal view.
The politician has the support of the Turkish government in his case. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said earlier that lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will also monitor the hearing in Strasbourg.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.