Epress.am News from Armenia
MPs in France today approved the bill making denial of the Armenian Genocide illegal.
The vote, by show of hands, saw the bill proposed by Union for Popular Movement (UMP) MP Valérie Boyer backed by a large majority of the 50 or so MPs present in the National Assembly, AFP news agency reports.
About two dozen MPs spoke in the session that began early this morning, many of them recalling not only separate episodes of the Armenian Genocide but also present-day Turkish state policy — the destruction of monuments, Ankara’s threats against France and the continuing blockade.
At the same time, the deputies stated they are against neither the Turkish people nor the country’s current authorities, and they do not blame them for events of the past. They only want that the state confronts its history.
The bill is expected to go before the Senate early next year. If approved, ratification by the president will make it into law.
Under the bill, those publicly denying the genocide would face a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros ($58,000).