France passes bill outlawing Armenian genocide denial

France approved a bill yesterday making it illegal to deny that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago was genocide, raising the prospect of a major diplomatic rift between two Nato allies.

Members of the senate voted 127 to 86 in favour of the legislation outlawing genocide denial after almost six hours of debate. The lower house had backed it in December, prompting Ankara to cancel all economic, political and military meetings with Paris and recall its ambassador for consultations.

The bill had been made more general so that it outlawed the denial of any genocide, partly in the hope of appeasing the Turks. It now goes to president Nicolas Sarkozy to be ratified.

“This day will be written in gold not only in the history of friendship between the Armenian and French peoples, but also in the annals of the history of the protection of human rights,”said Armenia’s foreign minister, Edward Nalbandian.

Turkey’s ambassador to France, Tahsin Burcuoglu, said he was “saddened” by the vote and warned permanent measures would be taken against France.

Armenia, backed by many historians and parliaments, says about 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during the First World War, in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government.

The Ottoman empire was dissolved after the end of the war, but successive Turkish governments and the vast majority of Turks feel the charge of genocide is a direct insult to their nation. Ankara argues there was heavy loss of life on both sides during fighting in the area.

Earlier, Turkish deputy prime minister Bulent Arinc told reporters at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg that Ankara would take new and permanent measures unless the bill was rejected and compared it to the Inquisition in the Middle Ages that to stamp out heresy.

“If the law is voted [through], it will hurt French and Turkish relations.” Mr Arinc said, adding that Turkey could take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

Turkey says the bill is a bid by Mr Sarkozy to win the votes of 500,000 ethnic Armenians in France in the two-round presidential vote in April and May.

The bill mandates a maximum fine of €45,000 (£37,300) and a year in jail for offenders. France passed a law recognising the killing of Armenians as genocide in 2001.

Meanwhile, about 200 Franco-Turks protested outside the Senate. They waved their French voting cards and banners with slogans including: “It’s not up to politicians to invent history.”

The Socialist Party, which has a majority in the upper house, and Mr Sarkozy’s UMP party, which put forward the bill, both backed the legislation.

Opponents in the Senate said the law would not encourage the Turks to recognise the Armenian genocide and would do nothing to help relations between the two nations.

“It is an unbearable law which calls into question historical research,” said centre-left senator Jacques Mezard.

Mr Sarkozy is expected to ratify the bill before parliament is suspended next month ahead of the presidential election.