Thank you for contacting me to express your support for Human Rights in Turkey. I appreciate you taking the time to contact me regarding this important issue.
As you know, the international community has recently raised serious concerns about President Erdogan’s human rights violations. The Turkish government, at the direction of President Erdogan, has engaged in a crackdown against Turkish civil society, minorities, journalists, and free speech. I have raised concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Turkey on many occasions, including at multiple public hearings before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Additionally, I recently joined my House colleagues in sending a letter to the State Department in support of Turkish democracy in the face of President Erdogan’s disregard for free speech and human rights. In addition to the many journalists and political figures that have been jailed, more than 150 media outlets have been shut down for expressing unfavorable opinions of Erdogan’s government. No democracy can thrive without a free and independent press, and I have been a vocal and consistent critic of the Erdogan administration’s treatment of its political opponents.
I am a strong advocate for global human rights and have made it a focus in my work in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Additionally, I am a member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, which fights for the recognition of human rights internationally.
While President Erdogan was in Washington, D.C., in May a protest outside of the Turkish embassy became violent when guards working for the Turkish government attacked the protesters. I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.Res.354, which was introduced on May 24th, 2017 by Representative Edward Royce (R-CA). The resolution condemns the use of violence by Turkish bodyguards against protesters in D.C. H. Res 354 was passed by the full House of Representatives on June 6, 2017. I was proud to serve as Ranking Member for a hearing before the House Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats Subcommittee about the Turkish attack on peaceful protesters and I will continue to closely monitor this issue and support actions to ensure that the Turkish government is held accountable for it’s behavior.
I have taken a number of actions to attempt to hold Turkey accountable for it’s actions. I recently joined my colleagues in urging Secretary Tillerson to reject a proposed sale of semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to the Turkish President’s Security Department. Until Turkey fully cooperates with the investigation into the incident in May, and waives diplomatic immunity for any security guards involved in beating American protesters, I do not believe the United States should approve weapons sales to Turkey. As such, I also offered an amendment to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 National Defense Authorization Act to prevent the sale of F-35 airplanes to Turkey. Moreover, I recently offered an amendment to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill to prevent any U.S. Assistance from going to the Turkish President’s security detail. This amendment is still pending before the House Rules Committee. Please know that I will continue to closely monitor this issue, and will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind should any further action be taken by the House of Representatives.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding human rights in Turkey. If I may be of assistance to you again in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me. In the meantime, please visit www.cicilline.house.gov for up-to-date information on my work in Congress. I look forward to further correspondence with you on this and any other concerns you may have in the future.
My best always,
David N. Cicilline
Member of Congress
08-09-2017