Turkish MP Expelled from Belgian Party for Refusing to Recognize Armenian Genocide

BRUSSELS — Belgian Humanist Democratic Centre party (CDH) has expelled Deputy Mahinur Özdemir from the party for refusing to recognize the Armenian Genocide. The final decision to expel the Turkish member was made by CDH ethics committee.

Leader of CDH party Benoit Lutgen welcomed the ethics committee decision stating, “Political commitment requires clarity and full faithfulness towards the values embraced by us”.

Earlier he had said that, “Should there be any genocide denier in our party, then he or she will be immediately discarded.

Mahinur Özdemir, who was the first to enter the Belgian parliament with a head-scarf, boycotted the minute of silence dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims in spring of 2015, announcing that “The resolution adopted by European Parliament is not mandatory. Later she refused to sign the communiqué submitted by the head of her party which recognized 1915 as genocide.

Özdemir appealed the decision of the party and demanded CDH party to renounce her dismissal explaining it as an illegal measure and discrimination.