The ethics committee of the Belgian political party Humanist Democratic Center (cDH) expelled Friday, May 29, their member Mahinur Ozdemir over denial of the Armenian Genocide.

"Mrs Ozdemir refused to recognize the Armenian Genocide, which is contrary to the party’s values. Recognition of the Genocide is not an ambiguous issue and demands total clarity," the cDH said in a statement, adding that Ozdemir "does not share this fundamental commitment of cDH."

The president of the centrist party, Benoît Lutgen, pledged to be inflexible on the issue: "If there is a genocide denier in the cDH, he's out in a second," he said, according to France-based journalist Jean Eckian.

The former party member responded to the sanctions in a statement in which she confirmed her refusal to recognize the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide. "I have always recognized human tragedies and I respect the memory of all those who lost life," she said, deliberately not using the term Genocide.

Ozdemir is married with Rahmi Göktas, a supporter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.