The pressure exerted by the newly elected U.S. president, Joe Biden, to the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 54 senators have issued a cross-party letter calling for the improvement of human rights in Turkey.
The text uses particularly strong language, referring to the authoritarian path Turkey has embarked upon, as a result of Erdogan’s domestic policies and provocations on the international stage.
In the letter, they state, among other things: «We urge you to emphasize to President Erdoğan and his government that they must immediately put an end to the crackdown on all dissent, both at home and abroad, release political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and reverse their authoritarian course.».
They also accuse President Erdoğan of leading the country down an authoritarian path. In fact, they cite specific examples, saying that:
- has silenced the critical media.
- It has purged the independent judges and replaced them with officials loyal to the party.
- has imprisoned journalists.
They go on to cite the findings of international reports that paint a grim picture of the situation in Turkey.
As noted in their joint letter, the Democratic and Republican senators, President Erdoğan's foreign policy has become more belligerent and aggressive over time. In this light, they point out that in recent years, Turkey:
- He shamelessly attacked the Kurds who were fighting against the Islamic State in Syria and were supported by the USA.
- Buy Russian air defense systems, despite warnings that they are incompatible with American technology.
- Encourage the Azerbaijan to use force to resolve a territorial dispute with the Armenia.
- He tried to pressure the U.S. and other countries to extradite Turkish citizens whom he accuses of being behind the failed coup attempt in 2016.
- She tried to silence her critics in the U.S., such as Enes Kanter, a player on his team NBA and a human rights advocate, causing problems for his family back in Turkey and getting his name added to the red list Interpol.
The letter, signed by a majority of the Senate, reminds Joe Biden that, as a presidential candidate, he had spoken of the need to strengthen alliances and promote democracy as a bulwark against the growing globalspread of a wave of authoritarianism.
