On his website petition-genocidearmenien.com Didier Parakian put a petition calling on the French Senate to adopt a law providing punishing for denial of the Armenian Genocide. 46-year-old Didier Parakian is a Marseilles-bases stylist. He is Vice-Mayor of Marseilles and is responsible for economic development of enterprises abroad.

He explained the reason for his decision to put the petition on the website. “On October 12, 2006, the French National Assembly approved, in the first reading, a bill providing for severe punishment for denial of the Armenian Genocide. The text still needs the Senate’s consideration to be enforced. However, pressed by Turkey, France’s economic partner, the Senate will not yet put the text on the agenda.

“Four years are enough! France cannot bargain over the memory of people that suffered from a crime against humanity in exchange for some economic agreements with Turkey, which is obvious far from European values as far as memory is concerned.

“So for memory’s sake, we, Armenian citizens of France, as well as ethnic Frenchmen, call on the Senate to vote for the bill criminalizing the