Bosnian Party Leader to Propose Bill Criminalizing Denial of Armenian Genocide

Bosnian Serb political leader Milorad Dodik, who has staunchly denied the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, on Tuesday said he would seek to make denial of the Armenian Genocide illegal in Bosnia, AFP reported.

Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, the Serb-run entity in Bosnia, said his party would “propose a law that would ban denial of the genocide committed against Armenians” in 1915, Fena news agency reported.

“We would like to enter into the circle of civilized countries, European and others, who have denounced this genocide. We will submit the draft to the (central) parliament in the coming days,” Dodik said.

Recall, the French National Assembly — the lower house of parliament — voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill criminalizing genocide denial, which will now be debated next year in the senate. The bill makes denial of the genocide a crime punishable by a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros.