No passivity in France
The Constitutional Council of France can take three decisions on the bill criminalizing the denial of genocides adopted by the French Senate.
"The Constitutional Council can either recognize the law as constitutional, anti-constitutional or send it back to the parliament for corrections," French-Armenian lawyer Rafael Kalfaian told "A1+" today. Kalfaian has participated in the development of the law.
In any case, the lawyer says the French Constitutional Council won't recognize the law as anti-constitutional and, in the worst case scenario, it will send it back to the National Assembly for modification.
The French Constitutional Council will discuss the law in late February, but the date remains undetermined.
Until then, those supporting the law won't stay passive. Kalfaian didn't find it appropriate to provide details on that.
"The Constitutional Council will only discuss the law in the presence of government representatives which will support the law. The Senators, who are the defendants, won't participate."
During an interview with "A1+", Kalfaian also touched upon the statement by Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Bagis in Switzerland.
"The Turkish Ambassador to France says the same thing every day. As long as the law hasn't entered into force, those making such statements won't be punished. If the Turkish minister visits Switzerland, he will be punished," said Kalfaian.
Kalfaian underlined that unlike the posts of the President of Turkey, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the post of the Minister for EU Affairs is not untouchable, as Bagis thinks.
"Such statements by Turkish officials cut Turkey off from Europe. The Turks make such statements because they fear that several other European countries can follow France's example and criminalize denial of the Armenian Genocide," Kalfaian told "A1+".
