French Constitutional Court will discuss bill on Armenian Genocide today

Today at 17:00 by Paris time (20:00 by Yerevan time) French Constitutional Court will present its decision towards the resolution of criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial. “Nouvelles d’Armenie” magazine informs about this.

Former Presidents of France Valerie Jiscar d’ Esten and Jacques Shirak are among the members of the Constitutional Court.

 But it is well-known that chairman of the constitutional court Jan-Lui Debre has a negative attitude towards the resolution which is presented by French Deputy Valerie Boyer. While he was the moderator of the session in the National Assembly he did not let a discussion about such theme be held.  

Remind that on January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial with 127 votes for and 86 against. If the bill is signed it will impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Two separate groups of French politicians who oppose the legislation – from both the Senate and the lower house – said they had formally requested the constitutional council examine the law. The groups said they each had gathered more than the minimum 60 signatures required to ask the council to test the law’s constitutionality.

The council is expected to deliver its judgment by March 1. French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to circulate a new bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial in case the constitutional council recognizes the January 23 bill as contradicting the constitution.