A bipartisan majority of the US Senate on Tuesday urged US President Joe Biden’s administration to push Turkey to do more to protect human rights.
A coalition of 54 Senators signed a letter expressing their concern over human rights and foreign policy in Turkey.
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy has also grown more belligerent and combative over time. In recent years, he brazenly attacked US-backed Kurds fighting ISIS in Syria,” the senators wrote.
They also slammed Turkey for purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
The Senators further condemned the Turkish involvement in Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia in the recent war over Nagorno-Karabakh.
“President Erdogan has also attempted to pressure the US and other countries into extraditing Turkish nationals, whom he blames for the failed coup in 2016,” the letter read.
“We urge you to emphasize to President Erdogan and his administration that they should immediately end their crackdown on dissent at home and abroad, release political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and reverse their authoritarian course,” the letter noted.
The Senators accused Erdogan of marginalizing domestic opposition, silencing critical media, jailing journalists and purging independent judges.
The Congress backs imposing tough sanctions on Turkey for its attitude in the region. Last year, Washington imposed sanctions over Turkey’s purchase of a Russian air defense system.
