A bipartisan group of top House lawmakers have offered a nonbinding resolution to formally condemn Turkish security officials’ violent response to protesters during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the U.S. last week.
Leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, along with top GOP and Democratic House leaders, have co-sponsored a resolution condemning the violence against peaceful protesters and calling for those who incited the violence to be brought to justice.
Introduced by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., ranking Democrat Eliot Engel of New York, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the measure urges the State Department to review its security procedures to reduce the likelihood of similar events happening in the future. They also want any diplomatic immunity waived for the security personnel.
While Turkey has blamed the incident on demonstrators tied to the militant Kurdistan Workers Party, the incident continues to be at the center of a diplomatic dispute between the United States and Turkey, both NATO allies.
At least 11 were injured, with two sustaining serious injuries during the May 16 brawl, labeled a “brutal attack” on peaceful protesters by Washington, D.C.’s police chief. The State Department also called the actions of Turkish security “deeply disturbing.”
The measure is expected to be taken up Thursday, according to reports citing congressional aides.
