The Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) has filed a police report against Mr Ahmet Akgunduz, rector of the Islamic University of Rotterdam (IUR). The charges against Mr Akgunduz relate to discrimination, incitement to hatred, group defamation and genocide denial. FAON did it in response to the appeal by Dutch Education Minister Mrs Bussemaker, who disapproves the conduct and statements of Ahmet Akgunduz, but does not see any possibility at this point to achieve the closure of the institution. Several organisations and individuals from Kurdish and Turkish circles, which also feel disadvantaged by the rector’s remarks, have already filed a police report against the rector.

The police report by FAON is directed in the first place against the statements by Mr Akgunduz, in which he makes discriminatory and hateful remarks towards Armenians and other minorities. At the time of Turkish elections, for instance, he called on the Turkish-Dutch voters not to vote for Armenians, Kurds and homosexuals. Secondly FAON is filing the police report against the constant flow of statements and publications by this person, in which he grossly denies the Armenian Genocide, thereby violating Article 137c of Dutch Criminal Code.

FAON considers the conduct of Mr Akgunduz as contrary to Dutch law. In addition, FAON believes that the conduct of Mr Akgunduz is at odds with the efforts of various communities in the Netherlands to come to dialogue and to reconciliation. Moreover, the rector also abuses his position in education for expressing his Turkish political views, which are unacceptable. Here is also evident the “long arm of Ankara”, because the views of Mr Akgunduz regarding ethnic and religious minorities, as well as those concerning the Armenian Genocide are identical to those of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Erdogan.