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The European Court of Human Rights hearing in the case of Perincek v. Switzerland is closed. All parties involved in the case made remarks. Dogu Perincek and his lawyers spoke first. Then Switzerland, the respondent in this case, spoke, and Turkey and Armenia, acting in the case as third party, spoke next.

Armenia’s representative to the European Court of Human Rights Gevorg Kostanyan drew the court’s attention to a huge number of historical facts which prove that the Ottoman Empire in the last years of its existence “planned and cynically” perpetrated the Armenian Genocide.

Lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, representing Armenia, stressed that Dogu Perincek traveled to Switzerland in 2005 with an aim to deliberately violate the Swiss law by making a statement denying the Armenian Genocide.

Amal Clooney, who defends Armenia’s interests, presented irrefutable historical facts about the Armenian Genocide, noting that the facts of mass killings obviously confirm that what happened in 1915 was genocide and the organizers pursued a goal to perpetrate genocide.

In response to the remarks by the representatives of Turkey about the need to defend the freedom of expression, she said, “This court is well aware of Turkey’s attitude to the protection of freedom of expression,” referring to the hundreds of cases under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Dogu Perincek in his closing remarks tried to present his views about the “Armenian Genocide - an imperialist lie,” but the court chairman interrupted him, not allowing him to make such statements as “Talaat was a fighter of freedom” and use the court for spreading propaganda theses.

The verdict in the case is expected to be announced in 6-8 months.

In 2008, a Swiss court convicted Dogu Perincek for denying the Armenian Genocide. In December 2013, the ECHR ruled in favor of Perincek’s lawsuit, filed against Switzerland. Then the government of Switzerland decided to petition that the Dogu Perincek case be referred for a review by the ECHR Grand Chamber. Later, Armenia petitioned to the ECHR and it now acts as a third party in this case.