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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 279 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 279

  Urging respect for freedom of expression and human rights in Turkey.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 20, 2015

   Mr. Grayson (for himself, Mr. Israel, Mr. Rush, and Mr. Lipinski) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Urging respect for freedom of expression and human rights in Turkey.

Whereas Turkey is a constitutional, secular state with an ethnically, 
        religiously, and culturally diverse population;
Whereas Turkey has long been a modern democracy, an Organization for Security 
        and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) participating State, and a major North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally to the United States;
Whereas respect for universal human rights, especially freedom of expression, is 
        essential to maintain a democratic, open society;
Whereas prominent human rights monitors, including the U.S. Department of State, 
        Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, the OSCE Representative on 
        Freedom of the Media, Freedom House, and Human Rights Watch, have 
        expressed concern about the erosion of freedom of expression under 
        President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party 
        (AKP);
Whereas the Government of Turkey has increasingly conducted widespread 
        intimidation and manipulation of media, private companies, and other 
        civil society actors through a number of means, including active 
        interference in their operations and regulatory action to compel 
        government-friendly outcomes;
Whereas, in recent years, criminal prosecution or intimidation based on overly 
        broad terrorism laws and other measures taken by authorities in Turkey 
        have been widely criticized as ideologically driven and unusually 
        severe;
Whereas several members of independent media groups in Turkey have been arrested 
        on questionable charges;
Whereas following protests in late 2013 and early 2014, authorities in Turkey 
        banned Twitter and YouTube for two weeks until the Constitutional Court 
        of Turkey overturned the ban; and
Whereas, on April 6, 2015, Turkey again blocked access to Twitter and YouTube 
        for several hours and threatened to ban Google: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the Government of Turkey to immediately lift 
        restrictions on freedom of expression, including expression 
        online or in social media;
            (2) urges the Government of Turkey to fully respect 
        universal human rights consistent with its OSCE commitments; 
        and
            (3) reaffirms the United States long-standing partnership 
        and friendship with the people of Turkey.
                                 <all>
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