International reaction piles up, French bill criticism for limiting freedom

SInternational reaction is piling up against a French Senate approval of a bill that outlaws in France denial of "Armenian genocide," on the grounds that the bill, now waiting on a final signature from the French president, goes against freedom of expression, a right the French constitution says cannot be denied to any human being. Amnesty International, an international human rights organization with millions of supporters worldwide, championed a stream of reactions on Tuesday, saying the French bill threatened freedom of expression. "This bill, if implemented, would have a chilling effect on public debate and contravene France's international obligations to uphold freedom of expression," said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Director at Amnesty International, according to a posting on the organization's website. "People should be free to express their opinions on this issue -- in France, Turkey and elsewhere," Duckworth also said, stressing the organization's devotion to freedoms and rights. While the organization noted international human rights law would allow for restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression in certain cases, in order to protect rights and reputations, national security or public order, it also noted none of these concerns applied in the case of the French bill, and it would simply mean blocking the expression of the view many Turks have regarding the 1915 incidents. "The real issue at stake with this bill is not whether the large-scale killings and forced displacement of Armenians in 1915 constituted a genocide, but the French authorities' attempt to curtail freedom of expression in response to that debate," added Duckworth. The French Senate approval of the bill, which seeks to land a fine of up to 45,000 euros and a prison sentence of up to one year upon offenders, met with a similar reception from European liberals and democrats, who deemed the move incomprehensible. Also on Tuesday, US State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said the views of the US government were "very well-known," and Washington DC, shared with Paris its view on how it has "chosen to handle the issue." Last April, when Armenians all over the world commemorated the alleged Armenian genocide, US President Barack Obama gave a much-expected speech in memory of the loss of Armenian lives in 1915 but stopped short of terming the killings genocide, in an attempt not to harm the fragile balance between Turks and Armenians, both of whom consider the events major building blocks of their national identities. "Frankly, this is a matter between Turkey and France, and we want to see good relations between them," Nuland stated, concerned over the friction between the two countries. "They are both allies of the US, and that's our message to both sides," she said, without elaborating on whether the US would take part in easing the tension between the nations.