French Parliament Commission Adopts Law on Punishing Armenian Genocide Denial

PARIS — French parliament’s commission on constitutional laws adopted bill introduced by Valerie Boyer (UMP) and her colleagues on transposition of the right on struggle against racism and punishment of Armenian Genocide denial.
The document envisages punishment for denying the fact of genocides adopted by law, the statement on parliament’s website says.
A similar socialist bill was passed October 12, 2006 by the National Assembly but was rejected by the Senate on May 4, 2011.
This new text, co-signed by more than forty UMP and New Center, punishes Armenian genocide denial to one year of prison and 45.000 euros fine.
“I hope that we will go to the end and that France will always be a country of human rights,” said Valerie Boyer.
The bill amends the law on freedom of press, so that racially motivated crimes are now a common crime enshrined in the law on the freedom of press.
The proposal must be approved by vote of Parliament in the coming weeks, free-lance correspondent