YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS: Switzerland has always been an active defender of the human rights in the international arena, having one of the most active governments in the fight against racial discrimination. The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan welcomes the decision of that country to appeal against the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights made on December 17 2013 on Doğu Perinçek’s case. After the meeting held at the Ministry of Healthcare, Serzh Sargsyan answered the questions of the participants of the consultation and stated that he highly values the Switzerland’s decision.

“It is encouraging. And we all should express our positive attitude towards the Switzerland’s decision. Everybody know that Switzerland has always been an active defender of the human rights in the international arena, having one of the most active governments in the fight against racial discrimination and we expect that in this issue as well Switzerland will make the right and positive decision, the witness of which we all have become”, - said the Head of the State, Armenpress reports.

Switzerland is to request that the European Court of Human Rights have the case of Doğu Perinçek referred to the Grand Chamber for review. The Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police stated this by an official message on March 11. Employee of the press service of the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police Folko Galie informed that Switzerland will demand ECHR to refer the case to the Grand Chamber until March 17.

Earlier it was reported that Switzerland could submit a counterclaim to the European Court of Human Rights by March 15 2014, demanding to review the verdict of December 17 2013. The ECHR satisfied the claim of the political figure and the leader of the Workers' Party Doğu Perinçek, who was recognized guilty by the Swiss Court for denying the Armenian Genocide. In 2008 the Swiss Court sentenced Perinçek for three-month detention for the denial of the Armenian Genocide and then the Court substituted the detention verdict with an administrative fine. The European Court of Human Rights substantiated the satisfaction of the Perinçek’s claim with the fact that the Swiss Court had violated the 7th and 10th articles on freedom of speech of the European Convention. Though the verdict of the ECHR is full of factual inaccuracies and was not unanimously adopted, as two of the seven judges voted against it.

Perinçek, the leader of a minor Turkish political party, had traveled to Switzerland in 2005 with the intention of daring the Swiss authorities to punish him for denying the Armenian Genocide. He brazenly called the Armenian Genocide an “international lie”. In response to a criminal complaint filed by the Switzerland-Armenia Association, Perinçek was tried and fined for racial discrimination by the Lausanne Police Court in March 2007. A Swiss Appeals Court confirmed his sentence, ruling that he had violated Article 261bis of the Criminal Code. The National Council (parliament) of Switzerland had already recognized the Armenian Genocide in 2003. Perinçek then appealed his case to the Federal Tribunal, the highest court in Switzerland, which reconfirmed his sentence.

The decision of Switzerland to review the Doğu Perinçek’s case at the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber has received a positive feedback in Armenia. The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Balayan made the following note in his Twitter page: “We welcome Swiss decision to request the review of Doğu Perinçek’s case at the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber”.