Fwd: News: MEF’s Michael Rubin Slams Turkey’s Human Rights Record in Congressional Hearing

[Mete Durdag]

Tescilli Türkiye düşmanı M. Rubin Kongre’de yaptığı konuşmada, RTE’nin USA’nın Ortadoğu ve Türkiye ile ilgili BOP’nin eşbaşkanlığını yürütme sürecinde uyguladığı hukuksuzlukları yetersiz buluyor ve daha fazlası ve aşırıları için zecri kontrol tedbirleri öneriyor:



The Hearing Presented a Bipartisan Display of the Growing Frustration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Increasing Authoritarianism

View in browser MEF’s Michael Rubin Slams Turkey’s Human Rights Record in Congressional Hearing The U.S. State Department’s 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices documented the Turkish government’s role in perpetrating arbitrary arrests and detentions of critics, journalists, and political opponents. (Shutterstock) WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 12, 2025 – In June 10 testimony before a congressional hearing at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (video; prepared transcript), Michael Rubin, director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum, called for the U.S. to counter alarming human rights abuses in Turkey. The hearing, co-chaired by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and James McGovern (D-MA), presented a bipartisan display of the growing frustration in Washington of the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s increasing authoritarianism and human rights abuses.   Rubin was joined by human rights activist and former NBA basketball star Enes Kanter Freedom and Alp Aslandogan, executive director of the Alliance for Shared Values. All three witnesses are branded as “terrorists” in Turkey for criticizing Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).   Policymakers should consider “an intelligence audit” to reassess official U.S. designations of Turkey in light of its support for terrorist activity, Rubin said. He also called for the State Department to reconsider its designation of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization, especially as the action was taken under political duress and after the PKK ended its armed insurgency.   Warning of the “slow motion eradication” of Orthodox Christian priests living in Turkey, Rubin cautioned against the Turkish government’s attempts to rewrite history concerning the Armenian Genocide, adding that “genocide denial perpetrates genocide.” He described how “antisemitism permeates Turkey” and Erdoğan’s transformation of the country into a “hub for Hamas,” for which it should be labeled a “state sponsor of terror.”   Rubin also urged Congress to demand the Government Accountability Office or the Congressional Research Service issue a report on how Turkey’s education curriculum depicts Kurds, Armenians, Greeks, and Jews.   Tuesday’s hearings were held after the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2025 Annual Report recommended including Turkey on the "Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom." Furthermore, the U.S. State Department’s 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices documented the Turkish government’s role in perpetrating arbitrary arrests and detentions; restrictions on media expression, including violence against journalists; serious limitations on internet freedoms; and violence aimed at national, ethnic, and religious minorities.   “Turkey’s undermining of democratic institutions, persistent human rights abuses, and slide toward authoritarian rule demand a reckoning,” said Gregg Roman, MEF’s executive director. “American policymakers must impose tangible costs to hold Ankara accountable and restore democratic principles.” The Middle East Forum, a non-profit organization, promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western civilization from Islamism. It does so through a combination of original ideas and focused activism.   For more information, visit www.meforum.org.   For immediate release For more information, contact: Gregg Roman ro...@meforum.org +1 (215) 546 5406 The Middle East Forum, an activist think tank, deals with the Middle East, Islamism, U.S. foreign policy, and related topics, urging bold measures to protect Americans and their allies. Pursuing its goals via intellectual and operational means, the Forum recurrently has policy ideas adopted by the U.S. government. Support The Middle East Forum Copyright © 2025 | Middle East Forum, All Rights Reserved (215) 546-5406 | www.meforum.org | in...@meforum.org Middle East Forum, 1650 Market Street Philadelphia, PA, 19103   Unsubscribe Manage Preferences