Response to Law Draft for Recognition of Armenian Genocide: It is Against Our Consciousness

* Photograph: Gökhan Balcı / AA / Archive

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A law draft submitted by Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) İstanbul MP Garo Paylan to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for the ""Recognition of Armenian Genocide", "Removal of the Names of Genocide Perpetrators from Public Places" and "Amendment to Turkish Citizenship Law" has been rejected by the Parliament Speaker's Office.

"Law draft is rude and hurtful"

In the rejection letter signed by Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman, the law draft submitted by Garo Paylan has been described as "rude and hurtful" and the statements of Paylan have been referred to as "insult to your own country" and "against our national consciousness and history."

In the letter, it has been stated, "The statements in the law draft have been considered to be hurtful as per the Article No. 67 of the Internal Regulation on the grounds that they accuse the Republic of Turkey as well as the history and shared past of the Turkish Nation and they charge the Turkish Nation with committing a crime of genocide."

What happened?

On April 20, 2018, (HDP Chair Garo Paylan submitted a law draft to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, requesting the recognition of Armenian Genocide, removal of the names of genocide perpetrators from public places and an amendment to the Turkish Citizenship Law. (PT/SD)