Swiss Court Convicts Turkish Politician for Denying Armenian Genocide

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, March 9 — A prominent Turkish politician was convicted Friday of breaching Swiss antiracism laws by saying that the early 20th-century killing of Armenians could not be described as genocide. The Turkish Foreign Ministry reacted swiftly to the decision, saying in a statement that it was saddened by the Swiss court’s ruling to punish the politician, Dogu Perincek, leader of the Turkish Workers’ Party, and to ignore “his freedom of expression.” Mr. Perincek was ordered to pay a fine of $2,450; an additional penalty of $7,360 was suspended.