26 - 01 2009 - Armenian diaspora targets European Turks

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=164962&bolum=103
A new European Union framework decision on racism and xenophobia will threaten European Turks if it is extended to include claims that Anatolian Armenians were subjected to genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire, sources warn.

The framework decision, which was adopted last year in November, was initially criticized by Armenian groups because it did not refer to the Armenian "genocide," explicitly but now the Armenian diaspora is pushing hard to include it in the process of transposing the decision into member states' laws. If they succeed, the Turkish diaspora in Europe, which includes nearly 6 million people, will have great difficulties when speaking about the World War I-era killings of Armenians. Turkey could also face problems in its accession talks with the EU.

In a workshop organized by the European Armenian Federation in the European Parliament Wednesday, the Armenian group announced that they would be fighting hard to include the genocide allegations when the framework decision is adopted by member states.

Member states have been asked to adopt the framework decision within two years. If Armenian lobbies are successful in their efforts, merely saying that there was no genocide in 1915 could be punishable by between one and three years imprisonment. Armenian groups have been particularly interested in this framework decision because a pan-European agreement would apply in all 27 member states and there would be no further need for decisions from each member country's parliament.

One of the articles of the framework decision that seriously worries Turkey stipulates that the determination of whether or not a genocide has taken place can be made by a national court. Speakers at the workshop in the European Parliament stressed that it would be legally possible for a citizen of a European Union member state to go to a court to petition for such a decision.

Inge Drost, who attended the workshop from the Netherlands, announced that the Dutch justice minister was not interested in a separate law and that this would be problematic for the Armenian cause. Stressing that they were fighting hard to convince the minister otherwise, Drost said they had been successful in the removal of three Turkish-origin candidates who refused to acknowledge the Armenian "genocide" from party lists in the 2006 general elections.

Freedom of expression

The participants in the conference claimed that denying genocide was not within the scope of freedom of expression and that politicians should be convinced of this; however, Article 7 of the framework decision does indeed talk about freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The article says:

1. This Framework Decision shall not have the effect of modifying the obligation to respect fundamental rights and fundamental legal principles, including freedom of expression and association, as enshrined in Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union.

2. This Framework Decision shall not have the effect of requiring Member States to take measures in contradiction to fundamental principles relating to freedom of association and freedom of expression, in particular freedom of press and the freedom of expression in other media as they result from constitutional tradition or rules governing the rights and responsibilities of, and the procedural guarantees for, the press or other media where these rules relate to the determination or limitation of liability.

However, Ankara worries any decision by a member country could create an example for all 27 member countries.

24.01.2009
News

SELÇUK GÜLTAŞLI

EURO ARMENIAN FED.