Katie Porter: “this morning in Ankara, Akin Birdal, widely regarded as Turkey's foremost human rights defender, was gunned down in his…”

“this morning in Ankara, Akin Birdal, widely regarded as Turkey's foremost human rights defender, was gunned down in his office by two unknown assailants. He is currently in critical condition in an Ankara hospital. Right-wing extremists have been blamed for the attack, but the Turkish government must bear some responsibility for this unconscionable act of violence, even if they did not pull the trigger. In recent weeks, the Turkish media has quoted government sources as saying Mr. Birdal, an internationally respected human rights leader, is a tool of the PKK. These stories were designed to turn popular opinion against Mr. Birdal, and these irresponsible lies may now cost him his life. I visited Turkey earlier this year, Mr. Speaker, and met with government officials who seemed to understand there were serious human rights problems in their country, and they seemed committed to solving these problems. This latest act of violence casts grave doubts on the sincerity of this commitment. I call on my colleagues to join me today in expressing our strong condemnation of this cowardly attack on a defender of human rights, and our demand that his attackers be brought to justice.”