In a move that would aggravate tensions between the US and Turkey, members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for the promotion of human rights in Turkey, through legislation to be presented by Democratic and Republican deputies in the Senate, which is likely to anger Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan AND his government, led by his ruling Justice and Development party, in alliance with the right-wing “Movimento Nazionale” party.
US Democratic Party Representative Hakim Jeffreys and Republican Party Wallis Cheney announced they had introduced a law to promote human rights. in Turkey for the year in course 2021, in collaboration with other First Party MPs, who are: Edward J. Markie, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
Jeffreys pointed out in a written statement that: “The United States cannot allow human rights violations to go unanswered, especially by one of its NATO allies,” adding: “We must stand on the side of the Turkish people and demand that the government of the President Erdogan stop torturing and killing and allow freedom of the press and expression. ” and strengthen an independent judiciary to uphold the rule of law.
Joe Biden and Recep Tayyip Erdogan
“The bipartisan Senate initiative Jeffreys and Cheney are working on aims to raise awareness of the government’s blatant abuses,” said Aykan Erdemir, former member of the Turkish parliament and senior member of the Turkey program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Turkey is against human rights in home and abroad.
The former deputy added to “Al Arabiya.net”that” this legislative effort risks putting pressure on Ankara by exposing and defaming its policies, and also putting pressure on the administration of US President Joe Biden to prioritize human rights issues. in one moment in which Washington is interested in making deals with Ankara ”.
He continued: “For human rights activists in Turkey, this legislation serves as a message of solidarity that they are not alone and that Turkey’s NATO allies are concerned about the country’s alarming democratic decline. “
Legislation prepared by bipartisan lawmakers urges them to “uphold the rule of law by taking measures to end arbitrary killings and torture, improve press freedom and allow freedom of expression on social media, promote justice, guarantee the independence of the judicial system, protect lawyers and judges and defend human rights ”.
From the “Archive” of the United States Congress
Under the provisions of the legislation they have proposed, the American representatives are calling on the president of their country to impose sanctions on Turkish officials who have proved responsible for the detention of prisoners of conscience and journalists, and the restriction of freedom of expression on sites of social media and other violations that occur daily in Turkey.
They also ask the US State Department to impose restrictions on visa applications for those Turkish officials who have committed in dangerous cross-border activities, such as the kidnapping of dissidents and their subsequent relocation in Turkey.
Neither the Turkish Foreign Ministry nor other Turkish government agencies have yet commented on the proposal adopted by two MPs from the two major parties in America, although the Turkish government usually responds immediately to such appeals.
Relations between the US and Turkey have been strained for years against the backdrop of Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 defense system, but the sharpness of the differences between the two sides has further increased with the recognition of the Armenian genocide by President Biden on April 24.
Continued US support for Kurdish fighters in Syria is also one of the main reasons for the differences between Washington and Ankara, in addition to the deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey, criticized by many US institutions interested in the issue.
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