Science Talk

Anti-Babalar · Guest

First day of Perincek trial in Lausanne; Turkish supporters denied entry

The first hearing in the trial of Dogu Perincek, the leader of the Turkish
Workers' Party who has been charged by Swiss prosecutors with publicly
denying the Armenian genocide allegations, took place yesterday in Lausanne,
Switzerland.
A large contingency of Perincek supporters who left Turkey 2 days ago to
show support for Perincek during his trial were not allowed by Swiss
authorities into the courtroom yesterday. Turkish journalists were also
barred by security from entered the Lausanne Courthouse, on grounds that
written accreditation had not been received beforehand.
It is expected that Perincek's trial will continue until March 9. If found
guilty, Perincek is to serve 3 years in prison and pay a heavy financial
fine.
In statements made earlier this week to the Swiss newspaper "Le Matin,"
Perincek asserted that he had come prepared with many WWI-era documents from
various countries, and that he would prove in court that what occured in
Turkey during those contested years was not in fact genocide.