Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans Statement on the Attacks in D.C.
Washington,
May 19, 2017
U.S. Congressmen Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and Steve Chabot (R-OH), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans, released the following statement in response to the attack in Washington, D.C. this week: “We condemn the attacks on peaceful protestors carried out on Tuesday near the Turkish Ambassador’s residence by Turkish security personnel. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham has confirmed that the attacks were unprovoked. As guests of the United States, we would hope that Turkish government officials would demonstrate respect for American democratic principles, like the rights of free speech and free assembly. Instead, they have demonstrated in this, and a similar incident last year at the Brookings Institution, their intolerance for peaceful dissent. We express our strongest concerns to the Turkish Ambassador regarding these unacceptable attacks, and call on the Turkish Government to issue an apology and to pledge to refrain from such incidents in the future.”
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