The French Constitutional Council expressed its opinion on the constitutionality of the law criminalizing the denial of genocides, including Armenian Genocide, in the resolution № 2012-647 DC of February 28.

More than 60 MPs and 60 senators applied to the Constitutional Council against the genocide law. The council recognized the genocide denial law as unconstitutional.

The first article of the law states punishment for denying or belittling one or several of the genocides which were considered as crimes by the French legislation. The Council decided that by punishing the denial or belittlement of the crimes recognized by the legislation, the legislator commits unconstitutional infringement on freedom of expression and speech.

Thus, the Constitutional Council considers the first article of the law as unconstitutional. As the second article of the law is inseparable from the first one, the second article is also recognized as unconstitutional.