Turkish Media React Against New French Law on Genocide Denial

Tue, 24/01/2012 - 14:34 — Savvas Hadjigeorgiou

Turkish media reacted strongly against the new French law that makes it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide, calling French president Nikolas Sarkozy 'Satan' and saying that the law will 'murder' democracy.

“Sözcü” Daily Newspaper writes that "Sarkozy’s evil plan sold out long time ally Turkey” and calls him “The Satan”.

"There is no Armenian Genocide," Takvim writes in Turkish and French. "France fell into the trap of Sarkozy, he made them sign a historic shame" adds the Turkish daily Newspaper.

"He Murdered Democracy" is the title of “Hürriyet”, next to Sarkozy’s photograph.

French senators passed a bill January 23rd making it illegal to deny that the 1915 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was genocide.

The decision comes a month after the French national assembly voted in favour of the draft law and prompted an angry response from Turkey that saw political and military ties with France frozen.

Turkey has since promised further measures after condemning the Senate's approval. AFP reports that Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin told CNN-Turk television that the decision is a 'great injustice'.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that he cancelled a trip to Brussels scheduled for Monday to brief EU foreign ministers on his visit to Tehran, saying that: "there will be more sanctions and this time, the sanctions will be permanent, until the French change their position."

Erdogan said on Monday that the bill was proposed by Sarkozy’s party in order to get more votes on the presidential elections in May and that if it passes, he will never visit France again.

Millions of Armenians had fled to escape the Ottoman Turks and scattered all over Europe between 1914-1916. The number of French citizens that are of Armenian descent is estimated between 400000 to half a million.

The draft law calls for a year imprisonment of anyone who denies the Genocide and a fine of 45,000 Euros.

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