French assembly approves controversial ‘genocide denial’ bill
The lower house of the French Parliament voted on Thursday for a controversial bill penalizing denial of Armenian genocide claims, ignoring massive Turkish protests against the measure.
The bill sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($59,000) for those who deny or "outrageously minimize" the alleged genocide of Armenians in eastern Anatolia during the final years of the Ottoman Empire, putting such action on a par with denial of the Holocaust.
The measure now needs to be passed in Senate, the upper house of the Parliament, to go into effect.
Turkey, which vehemently rejects the term "genocide," has campaigned to get France to abandon the legislation, threatening to withdraw its ambassador and warning of "grave consequences" to economic and political ties.
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