We are deeply worried that in Belgium, the Humanist Democratic Centre (CDH) expelled Mahinur Özdemir, a deputy of Brussels-Capital Region, from the party yesterday (29 May) for not recognizing the “Armenian genocide”.

We are astonished by this decision of a political party contradicting the democratic values in Belgium, a country with deep-rooted traditions of democracy.

It is obvious that expelling an elected MP from her party will not contribute to the integration of 220,000 people of Turkish descent, most of whom are Belgian citizens by disregarding freedom of expression, one of the fundamental principles of Europe.‎

Such exclusionist stances sowing discord among the society will not resolve but further deepen integration problems in Europe. We call on all Belgian institutions, particularly the political party in question, to refrain from attitudes which would result in polarization in the society, and we invite them to act with common sense.