Belgian MP expelled from party for failing to recognize Genocide

December 15, 2015 - 14:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The political bureau of Belgium's Humanist Democratic Centre (CDH) has made a final decision to expel Turkish-born MP Mahinur Ozdemir from the party for refusing to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the CDH website reports.

The party's committee on ethics had decided to expel the MP on May 29, but Ozdemir had appealed against the decision.

The leader of CDH, Benoît Lutgen hailed the decision on Ozdemir's expulsion from the party, stating: “Political commitment requires clarity and full adherence to our shared values.”

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.