French Military Attaché Banned From Attending an Event in Turkey

French Military Attaché was not allowed to participate in an event in Turkey, Regnum reported, citing the Turkish Milliyet.

Security services did not allow the French Military Attaché to participate in the annual sitting of Millitary Attachés of foreign diplomatic representations honoring the 97th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign during the First World War.

Two Turks in uniform asked the French representative to leave the hall, saying he had been not invited to the event.

On January 23, the French Senate passed a bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial with 127 votes for and 86 against. Expected to be signed into law by President, the bill will impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Two separate groups of French politicians who oppose the legislation – from both the Senate and the lower house – said they had formally requested the constitutional council examine the law. The groups said they each had gathered more than the minimum 60 signatures required to ask the council to test the law’s constitutionality. The council is obliged to deliver its judgment within a month, but this can be reduced to eight days if the government deems the matter urgent.