The World Council of Churches (EWC) has expressed “great concern”, following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case Perincek c. Switzerland, whereas the Swiss National Council and the Federal Court had clearly recognized the Armenian Genocide as a historical fact.

The judgment of the ECtHR in December 2013 ruled in favor of the Turkish politician Dogu Perinçek filed in Switzerland trial. Perincek is known for having denied so repeated the Armenian Genocide and being convicted by a Swiss court in 2008. Switzerland has the right to appeal against the judgment of the ECtHR.

In an official letter to the Federal Department of Justice and Police on February 27, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the EWC, urges the “Swiss government to make use of his right to appeal the judgment of the ECtHR , which is an affront to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and their descendants. ”

According to Pastor Tveit, it is a matter of “ethical and social importance” which recalls the duty to “work together to eliminate discrimination and prejudice and the prevention of genocide and crimes against humanity “.

In the past, the EWC has stressed the need to publicly recognize the Armenian Genocide, especially by the publication in 1984 of a paper titled Armenia: a tragedy that continues. This document has helped to publicize the history and the disarray of the Armenian people.

The Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the EWC also raised the issue of the Armenian Genocide to the Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations.

A report adopted at the 6th Meeting of the EWC in Vancouver in 1983 highlighted the need to remember the impact of the Armenian Genocide.

“The silence of the world community and deliberate efforts to deny even the historical facts were constant sources of pain and distress for the Armenian people, Armenian churches and many others,” the report stated.

Text of the letter from the Secretary General of the EWC

The Secretary General of EWC Pasteur Dr Tveit

to

Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga the Federal Department of Justice and Police Bern, Switzerland

February 26, 2014,

Dear Federal Councillor Sommaruga

I have the honor to salute you on behalf of the World Council of Churches. It is with great concern that we were informed of the decision in the case Perincek c. Switzerland, on 13 December 2013. We know that both the Swiss National Council (2003) and the Federal Court on two occasions (2007 and 2010) have clearly recognized the Armenian Genocide as a historical fact.

The EWC has addressed the need to publicly recognize the Armenian Genocide in 1984, especially by the publication of a paper titled Armenia: a tragedy that continues. The document helped to know the history and the plight of the Armenian people. The Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the EWC also raised the issue of the Armenian Genocide to the Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations, referring to his recent “Revised and Updated Report the Question of the Prevention and Repression of the Crime of Genocide. ”

The EWC is of the opinion that from a Christian perspective, the road to justice and reconciliation requires the recognition of the crime committed as a sine qua non for the healing of memories and the possibility of forgiveness. The Forgiveness is not forgetting but look back with the intention to restore justice, respect for human rights and relationships between perpetrators and victims.

April 24, 2015, we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. We therefore insist that the Swiss Government to exercise its right to appeal the judgment of the ECtHR, which is an affront to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and their descendants. This is an issue very important ethical and social significance, reminds us that we must, together, work to eliminate discrimination and prejudice and the prevention of genocide and crimes against humanity, the benefit of future generations.

Greetings.

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia General Secretary of the EWC

Translation of Gilbert Béguian

Friday, February 28, 2014,
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