YEREVAN (Yerkir)–The 24 April Committee of the Federation of Armenia’s in the Netherlands this week began lobbying for the bill penalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide. The initiative, launched last year by the Christian Union Party, had found little support in the Dutch Parliament until now.
FAON Spokesperson Inge Drost told PanARMENIAN.Net that FAON will start the round along the parties this week with the Dutch Social Democrat Party. FAON will, among others, discuss the matter with Member of Parliament Aleit Wolfsen, who is to become Mayer of Utrecht, Holland’s 4th city. Wolfsen recognizes the genocide but does not support the bill. According to Wolfsen, a special paragraph about genocide denial is not necessary because the Dutch Penal Code includes articles about offence and discrimination that would punish people who offend others by the way they talk about a genocide.
FAON also called upon political parties in the Dutch parliament to condemn the 1-year sentence for Hrant Dink’s son Arat Dink, editorial director of Agos, and Agos franchise owner Sarkis Seropyan for "insulting Turkishness" under article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.
