ISTANBUL (Hurriyet)–A French citizen of Turkish origin was sentenced to pay 1,500 euros after she sued a party official for discrimination regarding the official’s question on whether she recognized the Armenian Genocide.
Sirma Oran was a candidate from the Green Party in France for local elections but removed herself from candidacy after Villeurbanne Mayor Jean-Paul Bret asked her whether she accepted as genocide the annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turkey.
Oran, the daughter of Professor Baskin Oran, a liberal who campaigns in Turkey for reconciliation with Armenians, said then that the question was not asked to other candidates and that she was discriminated against because of her origin. Oran sued Bret for discrimination, in a case closely followed by the Turkish and Armenian communities in France.
The court of Lyon recently rejected Oran’s plea and fined her 1,500 euros and another 350 euros for court expenses. “French law recognizes the genocide,” the court stated in its decision. “Bret has the right to ask this question to Sirma Oran.”
“The political parties put together their lists freely during the electoral process, and they cannot be subjects of criminal courts in terms of politics,” the court said.
Oran was the first person of Turkish origin to receive a court sentence for “denying the Armenian genocide.” A case was filed against Aydin Sezgin, former Turkish consul general to Paris, but was dropped because he was a diplomat.
Members of the Armenian diaspora also sued revisionist professor Bernard Lewis on the same subject four times. Lewis was ordered to pay a symbolic fine of one frank in the last case.
Oran said the reason she removed her candidacy after the mentioned dialogue was that she realized that Bret would never accept her as an equal French citizen. “This decision [of the court] approves the discrimination Bret practiced and I think it is shameful,” said Oran. “This was a case of discrimination. Genocide is not my subject. It is a matter that goes beyond me and [other] individuals but Bret and the judge transformed it into one on genocide.”
Oran said the judge has stated that if a person is working for Turkish foundations, then that person can be asked about genocide. “They are not Turkish foundations but French ones aiming for harmony. This means they see people employed at Franco-Turkish foundations as potential criminals of denial.”
When asked about her personal views on the allegations of genocide, Oran said: “The genocide is a matter the Turkish and Armenian governments would solve together and one that does not interest other countries.” Oran said the Armenian diaspora living in the U.S. and France believe the matter cannot be solved without them, which is understandable but they are close to reaching a dialogue.
Oran said she would like to see democratic Armenians of Turkey and France stand by her because discrimination can happen to anyone regardless of religion and nationality. Oran also said she would object to the decision of the court and would apply to the European Court of Human Rights if it comes to that.
You have no right to distort the original Hurriyet piece by changing the language and introducing your own categorisations. This is cheating and does not correspond to the journalism ethics. Do you really think such cheatings promote your ends and people are blind and do not notice what you are doing?.. For your information, Bernard Lewis is not a “revisionist” historian, he is one of the oldest and best known Ottomanists in the world!
Bernard lewis is a Holocaust denier. The article is overly kind to the Holocaust deniers, Genocide denier!
she is denying the human rights of all Armenians all over the world and Armenia, by denying the Armenian Genocide and supports the right of Turkey which denies the Armenian Genocide. she is denying everything she thinks she can be saved from being a criminal against humanity and all if she just denies which she and her nation is in the eyes of the civilized world and the civilized nation of France and she is denying the rights of a citizens of France from upholding the law of their land and denying the court of France the right to uphold their law she is denying she is a denier, because she thinks Turks are not deniers of the Armenian Genocide and their country and people never murdered a nation and there was no Genocide so why would someone question a Turkish person about denying the Armenian Genocide they must be discriminating against her cause she is a Turk that’s all. see its not her subject she says she doesn’t know about the Genocide and her country is in talks with Armenia to work it out but she doesn’t know about it but for some reason, she says she doesn’t think its something other counties should be involved in. maybe if she wasn’t in such a denial she would find out why the civilized world is so outraged at her country and the people of Turkish origin for committing the most horrific crimes against humanity that a country and its people could do in the 20th century and deny it, they think its so huriffic that they have a law against deniers and all Turks all over the world can be questioned about their responsibility and values an entire nation including her father are potential criminals of denial. The world sees Turkey as a criminal nation guilty of genocide and denying it. if she could stop herself from denying this horrific truth then she could understand what a horrific crime she is committing as a denier. or why people have to know and are asking its not just cause she is of one origin or another but cause she is from a criminal genocide denier nation originaly, being irresponsible is a denial by saying i don’t know its not my subject my country has to decide but that doesn’t stop her there from going on about how other countries should not be involved, yes she is a denier and wants to hide, but there is no place to hide anymore especially outside of Turkey. the other counties should not get involved she says they should stand by and see people being killed by barbarians and not do anything about it and support them in denials but these barbarians of which am a direct descended of will work it out with the victims. my country is working it out with the Armenians after 95 years yes i don’t know, that’s my defense, am ignorant, she is so out of touch with being human and the world she doesn’t even know ignorance is no excuse in the eye of the law she is a criminal of Genocide if i ever found one. As for that Bernard Lewis most noted scholars and historians are calling him vulgar, biased, and can’t be taken seriously, they are saying he is downright ignorant, and has no rational, and the court stated that “by concealing elements contrary to his opinion, he neglected his duties of objectivity and prudence” see, he just doesn’t count as anyone in the real world, only with genocide deniers.
Turks are pretty predictable. They have violated every other minority’s rights throughout their years of occupation and brutal misrule ie: Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Kurds, Arabs, Europeans etc. and have yet to come to terms with but are the first to cry “discrimination” when confronted to speak the truth of the Armenian Genocide.
P.S David Irving and Bernard Lewis should get together as they are one and the same.
Turkey regularly intimidates, prosecutes, and jails journalists, and dissidents. And yet it complains constantly that the EU won’t admit it as a member and that it is a “Christian club.”
Turkey knows that is not the reason. Muslim dominated Albania will eventually join the EU, as will Bosnia.
Turkey just doesn’t get it. The EU doesn’t either. The EU should simply tell Turkey that it is not a European state and never will be. This will break the Turks’ hearts because they have their heart set on beging known as “European.” They are truly pathetic. But the multiculturalists and big business in the EU are afraid to stand up to Turks and “just say no” lest they throw another one of their famous Turkish temper tantrums.
shorty sarko is the son of killers in Algeria.. they massacred 2.000.000 muslim civilians… we will sue french