Dogu Perincek to appeal sentence for Armenia genocide denial

3/12/2007
Turkish Press

GENEVA - Dogu Perincek will appeal his conviction under a Swiss law for denying that mass killings of Armenians during World War One constituted genocide, his lawyer said on Monday.
Perincek, the leader of the Turkish Workers' Party, received a fine of 3,000 Swiss francs (1,900 euros, 2,500 dollars) and a suspended sentence last Friday from a court in Lausanne, over comments he made during a rally in the Swiss city in 2005.

He was the first person to be convicted in Switzerland for denying the Armenian genocide, following his claim the killings were an "international lie".

Judge Pierre-Henri Winzap said on Friday that Perincek was an "arrogant provocateur" with "racist and nationalist motives".

In response, Perincek said the court's ruling "reflects in a concrete manner the Swiss judge's hatred for Turkey and the Turkish nation."


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