WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following hearing:
AT WHAT COST?
The Human Toll of Turkey’s Policy at Home and Abroad
Thursday, October 31, 2019
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Rayburn House Office Building
Room 2200
Live Webcast: www.youtube.com/HelsinkiCommission
Sparked by the recent Turkish military offensive in northeastern Syria, increased tensions between the United States and Turkey have reignited the debate about the future of U.S.-Turkish bilateral relations.
At the hearing, expert witnesses will discuss how the United States should respond to the Turkish Government’s continuing abuse of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Participants will review prominent cases of politically-motivated prosecution, failures of due process, and prospects for judicial reform as they relate to Turkey’s commitments as a member of both the OSCE and NATO. The panel also will evaluate President Erdogan’s plan to return millions of Syrian refugees to their war-torn country or push them to Europe, and the human consequences of his military incursion into Syria.
The following witnesses are scheduled to participate:
- Henri Barkey, Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen Professor, Lehigh University
- Talip Kucukcan, Professor of Sociology, Marmara University
- Eric Schwartz, President, Refugees International
- Merve Tahiroglu, Turkey Program Coordinator, Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
- Gonul Tol, Director, Center for Turkish Studies, Middle East Institute (MEI)
Additional witnesses may be added.
