ISTANBUL. – We should not oppose the bill penalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide in the French Parliament’s agenda and raise our voice against policy of denial inside Turkey, commission struggling against racism and discrimination of the Istanbul branch of Turkish Union on Human Rights Association (IHD) statement reads.

The statement in particular reads that genocide denial, which is considered crime against humanity, cannot be called freedom of speech and self-expression.

“Planned annihilation of a nation and its denial is protection of crime. Denial of the crime is an attack on inheritors, victims and their memory. There are various penalties for denying the Holocaust in different states. France is not the one and should not be separated,” the statement reads.

Authors of the statement call the Turkish authorities, businessmen and NGOs to make efforts for the state and society to recognize the Armenian, Assyrian Genocides and cleansings of ethnic Greeks instead of launching campaign against France.