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EU approves criminal measures against Holocaust denial |
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By Constant Brand, The Associated Press
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LUXEMBOURG -- European Union nations agreed to set jail sentences against those who deny or trivialize the Holocaust, as part of efforts to combat racism and hate crimes across the 27-nation bloc.
The proposed rules, which still have to be vetted by national parliaments, calls for EU governments to impose up to three-year prison sentences for those convicted of denying genocide such as the mass killing of Jews during World War II and the massacre in Rwanda in the 1990s.
However, an effort by Baltic nations demanding major Stalinist atrocities should be included in the EU law was rejected.
The genocide of Jews is the only genocide referred to within the new rules, which still needs the backing of national parliaments and the European Parliament, officials said.
Diplomats said the EU-wide rules, which set only minimum standards on fighting racism and xenophobia, would only cover genocides recognized under statutes of the International Criminal Court.
However, member states may opt out of the requirement to criminalize those who deny the Holocaust or other genocide if such rules do not exist under their national laws, according to the EU proposals.
Many EU nations already ban denials of the Holocaust, including Germany, France, Spain, Austria and Belgium.
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