
Published on February 29, 2012
SARKOZY GETS OFF THE HOOK - EXPERT
- The French Constitutional Council's ruling helped Sarkozy to get off the hook, according to Artak Shakaryan, a turkologist. Commenting on the Council's Tuesday ruling to deem the genocide denial criminalization bill unconstitutional. the expert told reporters on Wednesday that the move enabled the French leader to prove that he had nothing to do with the constitutionalists' opinion. Shakaryan said such outcome was not predictable given that the final decision depended on several members who were politically isolated from electoral processes and public moods. "Although they say now that the Turks gloat over the ruling, the Constitutional Council's decision depended actually on just a few members, so there's absolutely nothing to rejoice at," he said. On January 23, the French Senate voted 127 to 86 to criminalize the denial of all the genocides recognized by the country. Several lawmakers protesting against the bill later applied to the Constitutional Council asking it to revise the document. The Council was expected to issue its ruling within a month. On February 28, it declared the bill unconstitutional, arguing that such legislation would curb freedom of speech in the country. If enacted, the bill would threaten anyone publicly denying the Armenian Genocide with a one-year prison sentence and a fine of €45,000.

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Headlines for February 29, 2012REPEAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LAW RESULT OF TURKISH LOBBY'S PRESSURE - HAY DAT REP
Repeal of the law criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Constitutional Council of France was the result of the Turkish lobby's overt pressure. "There is not any other explanation," Hrach ...AGAINST INSURANCE CLAIMS
By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier
The federal Court of Appeals issued a shocking decision last week. In a unanimous ruling, it struck down a California law that had allowed heirs of ...AZERBAIJAN CLAIMS ISRAELI ARMS WILL BE USED AGAINST KARABAKH
Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Iran said a $1.6 billion arms deal with Israel, which was announced Sunday, was made "to liberate occupied Azerbaijani land," Asbarez.com reported, citing Iranian news agencies.
The ...FRENCH CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL'S STATEMENT TURKEY'S ‘TEMPORARY SUCCESS' - ARMENIAN EXPERT
In an interview with the 1st TV channel of Armenia, the expert in Turkic studies Ruben Melkonyan addressed the political and legal aspects of the French Constitutional Council's statement on the bill ...BAKU DEMANDS RUSSIA TO PAY $300 MLN FOR RADAR LEASE
Azerbaijan has demanded Russia pay $300 million instead of the previously agreed $7 million for the lease of a Soviet-era anti-missile radar in the Azeri town of Gabala, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti ...FRANCE PLANS TO DRAFT NEW GENOCIDE BILL
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is working on a new genocide bill after the Constitutional Council threw out one currently under consideration, Euronews reported. The law would make it criminal to deny ...BAKO SAHAKYAN HOLDS WORKING MEETING WITH SUPREME HIGH COMMAND
President of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic Bako Sahakyan held on Tuesday a working consultation with the high command of the country's Defense Army. According to a press release by the NKR ...MARCH 1 RALLY TO MARK NEW POLITICAL YEAR - ACTIVIST
The new rally of the opposition Armenian National Congress will mark the beginning of a new political year, says an activist of the alliance. Speaking to Tert.am, Aram Manukyan, the chairman of the Armenian ...AUTHOR OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL BILL SHOCKED AT CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL'S STATEMENT
Valérie Boyer, a member of the French National Assembly who represents the Bouches-du-Rhône department, is shocked at the French Constitutional Council's statement on the bill criminalizing ...FRENCH RULING NO END TO PROCESS - ANALYST
The French Constitutional Court's ruling to declare the bill penalizing the denial of genocides unconstitutional is unlikely to put an end to the process, according to an Armenian analyst.
At a news conference ...IRANIAN FM TO VISIT BAKU
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is planning a visit to Baku, the Azerbaijani news website SalamNews.az reported, citing an Iranian Embassy representative. No specific dates and plans were reported, ...ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION BILL
By 30 to 56, with 4 abstentions, Armenia's parliament rejected draft amendments to Armenia's election law. The draft amendments envisaged a switch-over from the mixed electoral system to the proportional ...NATIONAL UNITY LEADER TO RUN FOR PARLIAMENT (PHOTOS)
The leader of the National Unity party, Artashes Geghamyan, has declared his intention to run for parliament in May. Speaking at the presentation of his tenth book, The Eurasian Union is My Future, the ...WIKILEAKS: RUSSIA GAVE ISRAEL IRANIAN SYSTEM CODES
WikiLeaks has released an email exchange between employees of Stratfor, the US-based global intelligence company, which reveals Israel and Russia made a deal to swap access codes for defense and surveillance ...ARMENIAN FM MEETS WITH SINGAPOREAN PRESIDENT, FM
On Tuesday, President of Singapore Tony Tan Keng Yam received Armenian FM Edward Nalbandyan, who was on an official visit to that country. At the meeting, Mr Tony Tan Keng Yam pointed out the Armenian ...UNITED LABOR PARTY JOINS PAP
The leader of the United Labor Party has said they are going to join Prosperous Armenia ahead of the May parliamentary election. Gurgen Arsenyan unveiled the plan at the party's their eighth congress ...ARMENIAN POLITICIAN ON FRENCH CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL'S STATEMENT
The French Constitutional Council's statement on the Armenian Genocide bill is not "the end of the world," Giro Manoyan, Head of the Hay Dat office, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) ...SARKOZY GETS OFF THE HOOK - EXPERT
The French Constitutional Council's ruling helped Sarkozy to get off the hook, according to Artak Shakaryan, a turkologist. Commenting on the Council's Tuesday ruling to deem the genocide denial criminalization ...ADAM SCHIFF: SUMGAIT POGROMS WERE ONLY PART OF ANTI-ARMENIAN ACTIVITIES
On the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, US Representative Adam Schiff addressed the House on Monday to commemorate the innocent victims who fell victim to the Azerbaijani ...SUMGAIT POGROMS SHOULD BE TERMED GENOCIDE - MP
A member of the opposition Heritage party faction in National Assembly, Larisa Alaverdyan has called for terming the 1988 Armenian pogroms in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait a real genocide. At a news ...ARMENIAN SOLDIER DIES IN KARABAKH
An Armenian conscript has died of a gun bullet in Nagorno-Karabakh earlier today. According to a press release by the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, Tigran V. Varyan, 19, was killed by a self-firing ...ARMENIAN PM ATTENDS YOUTH FOUNDATION'S AWARD CEREMONY
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan attended the Armenian Youth Foundation's award ceremony earlier today. The youth and student organizations recognized the best in 2011 were honored with the Armenian Award, ...YEREVAN MAYOR DISCUSSES INVESTMENT PROJECTS WITH BUSINESSMAN
Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan received on Wednesday the president of the Property Development company's board of directors, Ruben Vardanyan to discuss the possibility of launching investment programs ...BRAZILIAN MAN USES FAKE ID WITH JACK NICHOLSON'S PHOTO
A Brazilian man was arrested Tuesday after he reportedly tried to open a bank account using a fake ID featuring a photo of actor Jack Nicholson. The police chief in the Brazilian city of Recife said ...PM SARGSYAN SHARES MAYOR'S CONCERNS OVER YEREVAN PARK CONSTRUCTION
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan shares Yerevan Mayor's concerns on the construction of kiosks in Yerevan's Mashtots Park. At a news conference on Tuesday, the premier said that both he and Mayor Taron ...GEORGIA LIFTS VISA REGIME WITH RUSSIA
Georgia has unilaterally abolished the visa regime with the Russian Federation. It comes after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili signed a decree allowing Russian citizens to visit the country without ...
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Today in Armenian history- 1880 Birth of Martiros Saryan (artist) in New Nakhichevan (Rostov, Russia). He died in 1972.
- 1904 Defense of Sassoon (Western Armenia) against Turkish attacks. The battles lasted for 2 1/2 months.
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