ECHR Decision on Perinçek’s trial must appeal: expert

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has made a very arguabledecision on the case of Doğu Perinçek, which cannot be evaluated as the last truth. There is a legal opportunity for appealing the decision, and in that respect, the Armenian side must carry out corresponding activities with the Government of Switzerland as to appeal the judgment and establish an opportunity for the court to make a decision on the basis of the facts, historical truth and the legal united approaches. The Armenian side must become more active in this respect,” a well-known specialist of the international law Vigen Kocharyan expressed such a viewpoint in a conversation with Armenpress, adding that the decision leaves place for many unanswered questions.

“The court considers that Doğu Perinçek has denied only the legal evaluation of the corresponding historical events as genocide and as if he has not denied that pogroms and massacres of the Armenians took place in 1915. But the court has ignored the fact that the latter had to make such a statement already standing in front of the Swiss court”.

Doğu Perinçek(born June 17, 1942 inGaziantep) is aTurkish politician, and chairman since 1992 of the socialistWorkers' Party(Turkish:İşçi Partisi),In August 2013 he was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment as part of theErgenekon trials.

Doğu (Doğumeans "East" inTurkish) Perinçek was born toSadık Perinçekof Apçağa,Kemaliye, and Lebibe Olcaytu of Balaban,Darende. Sadık Perinçek was the deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Court and parliamentary deputy of theJustice Party(AP); the predecessor of theTrue Path Party(DYP).Perinçek attended Ankara Sarar primary school, an Atatürk Lycee, and Bahçelievler Deneme high school.He interrupted his university education to study German at theGoethe Institutein Germany, going on to finishAnkara University's Law faculty, and working as an assistant lecturer inpublic law.He then completed a doctorate at theOtto-Suhr-Institutin Germany.[

Prior to his detention as part of the Ergenekon case, Perinçek resided in Gayrettepe, Istanbul with his wife Şule Perinçek. They have two daughters, Zeynep and Kiraz, and two sons, Can and Mehmet Bora.

In 1990, Perinçek was arrested and put in Diyarbakir Prison after the issue of the Law of Censorship and Exile.

Perinçek is notable as being the first person to be convicted by a court of law fordenial of the Armenian Genocide. On 9 March 2007, he was found guilty by aSwissdistrict court of conscious violation of Swiss laws againstgenocide denialwith a racist motivation and was finedCHF12,000. The case was a result of Perinçek's description of the Armenian genocide as "an international lie" at a demonstration in Lausanneon 25 July 2005; he later admitted to a Swiss court that there had been massacres, but reiterated his belief that these did not constitute genocide. The verdict was confirmed by theVaudcantonal appeal court on 19 June, and by theFederal Supreme Court of Switzerlandon 12 December 2007.Perinçek announced he will take recourse to theEuropean Court of Human Rights.

In Turkey, on 21 March 2008, Perinçek was detained as part of an investigation into the organization namedErgenekon. This followed the arrest and detention of 39 suspects in January 2008 during raids targeting Ergenekon.

The investigation's indictment also contains similar allegations, made by theNational Intelligence Organization.Upon receiving news of Perinçek's arrest, RussianEurasianistideologueAleksandr Dugin said "this operation against a pro-Russian group in Turkey has shown who our friends and foes are".This prompted allegations that he was affiliated with the group, which he adamantly denied. On 5 August 2013 Perinçek was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment.