Dogu Perincek

Dogu Perincek is a Turkish politician. He is the leader of the Turkey's Workers' Party.

In 2005 Swiss authorities brought a third charge against Perincek for breaking Switzerland's racial discrimination laws by denying that the killings of Armenians around the time of World War I was a genocide. He already had been charged twice by Swiss authorities for two previous, similar incidents.

Denying that the Holocaust or other cases of genocide took place is regarded as racial discrimination under Swiss law, and can be punished by up to three years in prison and an unspecified fine.

Perincek was questioned by police in Vaud canton, where he already was under investigation for similar remarks made in May 2005, Bern police spokeswoman Anastasia Falkner said.

Swiss authorities launched a second investigation into Perincek in July for making similar remarks in northern Switzerland, and Perincek was briefly detained after that speech.

Turkey called the Swiss ambassador to the Foreign Ministry to protest Perincek's detention and investigation.

Similar disputes have erupted in the past between Turkey and Switzerland. In June 2005, a Turkish Cabinet minister postponed a visit to Switzerland to protest an investigation of a Turkish historian who denied in a separate speech that the killings were genocide. In July, Turkey canceled a proposed visit by Swiss Economics Minister Joseph Deiss because of "schedule clashes".

Sources

• Turk Politician Again Charged in Switzerland for Denying Armenian Genocide