Head of Turkish education board returns his medal of honor to France
Güncelleme Tarihi:
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Ekim 16, 2006 14:13
The president of the powerful Turkish Board of Higher Education, Dr. Erdogan Tezic, has reportedly sent back to Paris an honorary medal which was awarded to him by France, in a gesture of protest against last week's decision by the French Parliament to approve the so-called "genocide denial" bill. Tezic's medal of merit, one of the highest levels of medals awarded by the French state, was accompanied by a letter to President Chirac explaining his decision.
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A written statement from the Board of Higher Education today explained that French President Chirac had awarded Tezic on September 17 2004 with the Legion d'Honneur, and that this was precisely the medal that Tezic was now returning to Chirac himself. The YOK statement also noted that this Legion d'Honneur was an award which began being given during Napoleon I's term in power, and that it was the first time in recorded history that anyone had ever given it back to France after its award.
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