Academic to be Tried for Attending Holocaust Conference

By Ali Ihsan Aydin
Zaman
Dec. 19, 2006

Robert Faurisson, a French academic who attended an Iranian conference questioning the Jewish Holocaust, could face legal punishment.

Robert Faurisson might be brought to court as a result of the comments he made at the "unacceptable" Tehran gathering, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said.

The foreign minister said the French academic was previously taken to court and banned from teaching at universities for his attitude toward the holocaust.

The French academic, who attended the conference titled “Review of the Holocaust: Global Vision” held by Iranian Foreign Ministry Foreign Policy Center, was previously convicted for denying the holocaust five times in his country.

The conference was attended by 67 scholars from 30 countries and found “unacceptable” by the European Union and the United States. Tehran was condemned for allowing it to take place.

Professor Faurisson had sparked reactions for his open letter “The Rumor of Auschwitz,” published in Le Monde.

The French academic was given a three month prison term and fined €7,500 for an interview with Iranian TV channel Sahar 1 in October.