ECHR decision not to affect Armenian Genocide international recognition

“The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR on the appeal of Dogu Perincek who was convicted in Switzerland for denial of the Armenian Genocide will not affect the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” international law expert Ara Ghazarian told PastInfo news agency, considering the case as a result of quite successful Turkish lobbying.

At the same time Ara Ghazarian believes that this circumstance will have an effect on the process of taking decisions on criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial, which is an element of the Genocide recognition. “More and more states are acknowledging the fact of the Genocide, but they will not pass laws,” he said, adding that Armenia keeps the provisions criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial, which is legitimate and conditioned by acute social demand. “We, the Armenians, were the first victims of genocide,” he said.

If anyone comes to Armenia and makes a public speech denying that the 1915 events constituted genocide, that person will be held criminally responsible and the case will go to the European Court. In the opinion of A. Ghazarian, another decision could be taken. In case of Armenia, a provision may be adopted that there is acute social demand that such persons should be held criminally responsible. “The European Court always localized its decision according to concrete circumstances, but does not set a universal principle”, Ghazarian said, noting that in case of the ruling concerning Switzerland, the court did not acknowledge that in Swiss society there is acute social demand for holding those denying the Armenian Genocide criminally responsible.

Read the full article at http://pastinfo.am/ru/node/29459.