Slovakia sets forth genocide issue
The press secretariat of the Forum of Armenian Associations in Europe (FAAE) informs that Head of the Supreme Court of Slovakia, former deputy prime minister, Minister of Justice Stefan Harabin had a meeting with President of the FAAE Ashot Grigoryan and transmitted the following letter, which we present in its entirety:
"As I have already announced, in the last year of my term as minister of justice, the National Council of Slovakia (NC) was able to establish the law on those denying the Armenian Genocide. According to that law, the evil acts of genocide, racism, Holocaust and Communism are considered crimes against humanity, and the justification or denial of them are condemned with up to five years in prison, if the crime is planned, and up to three years in prison, if there has been an announcement that wasn't planned. This law went into legal force on September 1, 2009.
This means that Slovakia is the first EU country that passed a law on Armenian Genocide denial, and Slovakia is the second country in Europe that passed the above mentioned law after Switzerland. I am very surprised to see how Turkey is causing unprecedented uproar regarding the law discussed by the French Senate after not being able to do anything about the laws passed by Switzerland and Slovakia.
I appeal to the Chairman of the French Senate and the Senators and announce that the law that they pass is a great necessity and I think Slovakia will join French President Sarkozy's proposal to call on all EU-member countries to pass such a law. I will appeal to the adequate members and leaders of the National Council to support the French Senate in passing a law on genocide denial, and will pass on our experience to the EU parliaments in order to fight against Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide."
Stefan Harabin, 09.01.12
Bratislava, Slovakia
President of the FAAE Ashot Grigoryan, who has received the letter, informs that before the passing of the law on genocide denial, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Turkish Embassy in Slovakia were carrying out large-scale efforts with the demand for demolishing the monument to the victims of the Armenian Genocide placed in central Bratislava.
However, after Slovakia passed a law criminalizing genocide denial, Turkey stopped making demands and no Turkish figure made an attempt or will make an attempt to do something about the issue of Armenian Genocide denial in Slovakia.
The FAAE is working with its members to have the parliaments of all EU-member countries pass laws on Armenian Genocide denial.
