March 2, 2021. Greece.
One hundred and seventy bipartisan members of the US House of Representatives have issued a letter to the State Department urging the Biden administration to hold the Turkish government accountable for "human rights abuses" taking place in the Nato country.
In a letter sent on 26 February, but made public on
Monday, the lawmakers called out the Turkish president specifically for
"democratic backsliding", asking the Biden administration to place
more concern on Turkey's domestic issues.
"As the Biden administration formulates its foreign
policy in regard to Turkey, we ask that you aim to address the troubling human
rights abuses taking place under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan," the
letter reads.
"Turkey has long been a key United States ally.
Unfortunately, President Erdogan has strained the relationship between our
nations," it continued. "Strategic issues have rightfully received
significant attention in our bilateral relationship, but the gross violation of
human rights and democratic backsliding taking place in Turkey are also of
significant concern."
While a significant chunk of House members, both Republicans
and Democrats, signed onto the letter, official leadership from both parties
refrained from participating. Signers did, however, include Representatives
Greg Meeks, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and
Michael McCaul, the panel’s ranking Republican member.
A frayed relationship
Days before the letter was sent, Erdogan released a video address to Twitter, where he
insisted that the common interests of Turkey and the United States outweigh
their differences. The Turkish President stressed that Turkey wants
to improve cooperation with Washington "on a win-win basis".
But relations have frayed over a host of issues in recent
years, including Turkey’s purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defence
system and US support for the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria, dubbed a terrorist
group by Turkey.
Both the White House and Congress have expressed
repeated concern over rights and freedoms in recent weeks.
Upon taking office, the Biden administration swiftly rebuked
Turkey, urging the release of prominent civil society leader
Osman Kavala. The administration also criticised homophobic rhetoric in a
crackdown on student demonstrators.
In the February letter, lawmakers highlighted such cases,
accusing Erdogan and his party of weakening Turkey’s judiciary,
installing political allies in key military and intelligence positions,
and wrongfully imprisoning political opponents, journalists and members of
minority groups.
"Since 2016, more than 80,000 Turkish citizens have
been imprisoned or arrested and more than 1,500 nongovernmental organizations
have been closed to suppress political opposition," the lawmakers wrote.
They also highlighted "dubious" criminal charges against three Turkish staff employed
by the US State Department, urging the administration to prioritise their
cases, including "their immediate release and dismissal of all
charges".
"While it is in our mutual interest for the United
States and Turkey to remain strategic allies and repair the rifts between us,
we believe changes to President Erdogan and his party’s behavior are vital to
seeing that relationship restored," the lawmakers wrote.
"We hope that the State Department under your
leadership and the Biden administration more broadly will elevate human rights
and democratic backsliding concerns in our bilateral relations."
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