Monday, 23 January 2012The French Senate is due to debate a bill that would make it a crime to deny that the 1915 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks amounted to genocide.
The lower house of parliament has already adopted the bill, which punishes offenders by up to a year in prison and 45,000 euros ($57,000) in fines.
In a nonbinding recommendation last week, a Senate panel said the bill was unconstitutional, as it violates freedom of speech.
The bill has sparked a diplomatic row with the Turkish government, which denies the killings during World War I were genocide.
Ankara has warned France to reject the bill, with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promising new measures against France unless the legislation is rejected. |
Monday, 23 January 2012
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