France tramples on principles of liberty- Erdogan
"France has trampled on the principles of its own revolution: Liberty, equality and fraternity," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday, DPA reported.
"It's unfortunate for Turkey, but it is a bigger misfortune for France," said Erdogan, implying that France had lowered its values by passing a bill making it a crime to deny that Ottoman Turks committed "genocide against their Armenian citizens" in 1915-18.
"I ask you: Is there freedom of thought and freedom of expression in France? The answer is, 'No.' France has abolished the spirit of free discussion."
Turkey says an estimated 300,000 Armenians were killed in fighting that began after the Russian army invaded eastern Turkey in World War I. It says the killings were not systematic and therefore cannot be genocide, and adds an equal number of Muslim Turks were killed.
On Thursday, the French parliament adopted a bill criminalizing denial of the so-called "Armenian Genocide", CNN Turk TV channel reported.
The bill envisages about one year imprisonment and a fine worth 45,000 euros for denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide".
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