The Democratic Humanist Centre party (CDH) expelled their deputy leader for refusing to call the mass killing of Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire genocide.
Mahinur Özdemir refusal to recognise the killings as genocide “is contrary to the party’s values”, said a party statement. “Recognition of the Genocide is not an ambiguous issue and demands total clarity," said the CDH adding that Ms Özdemir "does not share this fundamental commitment of CDH."
Party President Benoît Lutgen, also pledged that "if there is a genocide denier in the cDH, he's out in a second."
Ms Özdemir said her expulsion "has become a black stain in CDH's and Belgian democracy's history.” “I stand behind my views on this issue,” she said. “I'm standing strong and I'm never giving up my freedom of speech."