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Warrants Issued for the Arrest of Members of President Erdogan’s Security Detail

 

D.C. Police Release the Names of Charged Individuals; ANCA Urges Trump Administration to Take Action and Demand that Turkey Lift Claims to Diplomatic Immunity for those Involved in Crime

WASHINGTON (A.W.)—During a press conference on June 15, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham announced that arrest warrants have been issued for the arrest of 12 members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail and Turkish police officers in connection with the May 16 attack on peaceful protesters in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C.

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Yesterday, it was reported that United States Marshals had arrested two Turkish men living in the U.S., for their role in beating peaceful protesters on May 16. Two arrests of Turkish-Americans Eyup Yildirim—an owner of a construction company in New Jersey—and Sinan Narin—a Virginia resident—were made by law enforcement officials. Yildirim was charged with felony Assault with Significant Bodily Injury, felony Aggravated Assault, and misdemeanor Assault or Threatened Assault in a Menacing Manner, while Narin was charged with felony Aggravated Assault and misdemeanor Assault or Threatened Assault in a Menacing Manner.

According to a Washington D.C. Police Department press release, a total of 18 individuals have been charged or are facing charges. Photographs of the 14 individuals, including Turkish security officers, who have outstanding warrants for their arrests, were also released by D.C. Police.

 

http://armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/warrentsarr.jpg

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http://armenianweekly.com/2017/06/15/breaking-warrants-issued-for-the-arrest-of-members-of-president-erdogans-security-detail/

In response to a question from the Armenian Weekly, D.C. Police Chief Newsham acknowledged that investigators are looking into the role of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the May 16 attack, but indicated that, despite the available video and other evidence, there is not yet sufficient probable cause to seek his arrest.

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham speaking at the June 15 press conference (Photo: ANCA)

“As I’ve said before, I condemn this attack. It was an affront to our values as Washingtonians and as Americans and was a clear assault on the First Amendment. As Americans, the First Amendment grants us the right to assemble and protest peacefully, and here in D.C., we are committed to safeguarding and protecting that right,” Mayor Bowser said during the press conference. She then thanked the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. State Department, and the D.C. U.S. Attorney for their cooperation with the Washington D.C. Police Department.

“I just want to be perfectly clear that we take our position in the United States as the nation’s capital very seriously. We host demonstrations month-to-month. We host millions of people who come to the seat of their government to protest peacefully. We support them, we make sure that they are safe, but we also make sure that they follow our laws. Certainly anyone travelling to the United States will be held to that same standard. We will defend the First Amendment and we will make sure that our laws are being enforced,” the Mayor added.

“The May 16th Erdogan-ordered attacks on peaceful protesters in Washington D.C. were not only a brutal assault on American citizens but on our fundamental first amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly,” Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian said, following the June 15 announcement. “We commend the efforts of Mayor Bowser, Chief Newsham, and all the law enforcement agencies involved in bringing the perpetrators to justice, and look forward to continuing to work with them to identify all involved. Law enforcement is doing its part; now it’s time for the Trump Administration to take action and demand that Turkey lift any claims to diplomatic immunity for those involved in this crime, so that criminal proceedings can move forward and justice can be served,” Hamparian added.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) commended the Washington D.C. Police Department and applauded the decision to follow up with the filing of criminal charges. “This sends an important message that while violence and repression have become the norm in Erdogan’s Turkey, they remain unacceptable here. Bringing these thugs to justice will ultimately require the State Department to prioritize this issue with Turkey, and I will be urging them to ensure that those charged today face justice,” Schiff said in a statement.

According to the D.C. Police, 14 individuals have outstanding warrants for their arrests and are identified below:

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ANCA Troubled Erdogan’s Bodyguards Not Among Those Charged Over Embassy Attack

 

http://armenianweekly.com/2017/06/14/anca-troubled-erdogans-bodyguards-not-among-those-charged-over-embassy-attack/

 

ANCA Calls Out Weak Administration Response to Foreign Attack on American Freedoms

WASHINGTON—Metropolitan Washington D.C. police made two arrests in the case of the May 16 beatings of peaceful protesters, but stopped short of leveling charges against the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail that led the brutal attack, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Turkish American businessman Eyup Yildirim was among two arrested by Metropolitan Washington D.C. Police in conjunction with the May 16 Erdogan-ordered beating of peaceful protesters. The New York Times had identified Yildirim among the attackers in a June 4th expose.

According to The Daily Caller’s Chuck Ross, Turkish Americans Eyup Yildirim, an owner of a construction company in New Jersey, is charged with assault with significant bodily injury and aggravated assault while Sinan Narin, a Virginia resident faces an aggravated assault charge.

“We remain deeply troubled—nearly a month after this unprovoked assault by a foreign government on peaceful U.S. protesters—over the lack of criminal charges against Erdogan’s security detail and the failure of the Trump Administration to demand that Ankara waive its claims to immunity for all those involved in this assault on our American freedoms,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

“These two arrests are a good start, but this is about far more than crime enforcement. It’s about our U.S. government standing up against foreign attempts to silence dissent by American citizens. In light of the major media attention devoted to this outrage and given the intense Congressional concern about its consequences – it is unacceptable that the White House and State Department have demonstrated such weakness, adopting, basically, a business-as-usual approach in the face of a brazen, angry, and arrogant foreign attack on peaceful protesters on American soil,” concluded Hamparian.

Hamparian was videotaping live at the scene of the May 16 attack, which took place in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence where President Erdogan was scheduled to have a closed-door meeting with representatives of The Atlantic Council, a leading think tank in Washington, D.C., which receives funding from Turkey. Hamparian’s video showed pro-Erdogan forces crossing a police line and beating peaceful protesters—elderly men and several women—who were on the ground bleeding during most of the attack.

Hamparian testified before a May 25th Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on this matter. Joining him at the hearing were Ms. Lusik Usoyan, Founder and President of the Ezidi Relief Fund; Mr. Murat Yusa, a local businessman and protest organizer; and Ms. Ruth Wedgwood, Edward B. Burling Professor of International Law and Diplomacy, at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Usoyan and Yusa were victims of the brutal assault on May 16th by President Erdogan’s bodyguards.

Virginia resident Sinan Narin was among two arrested by Metropolitan Washington D.C. Police in conjunction with the May 16th Erdogan-ordered beating of peaceful protesters. The New York Times had identified Narin among the attackers in a June 4th expose.

On June 6, with a vote of 397 to 0, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously condemned Turkey in response to the attacks, taking a powerful stand against Ankara’s attempts to export its violence and intolerance to America’s shores. H.Res.354, spearheaded by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), has received the public backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). A companion measure has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

The House vote follows broad-based Congressional outrage expressed by over 100 Senate and House members through public statements, social media, and a series of Congressional letters.

Senate and House members have also raised concerns about the recently announced $1.2 million sale of semi-automatic guns slated for use by Turkish President Erdognan’s security detail, many of whom participated in the May 16 attacks. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrat Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ed Royce have already objected to the sale.

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Dave Trott (R-Mich.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) are urging colleagues to co-sign a letter to Secretary Tillerson to block the gun sale to Turkey. To contact legislators to cosign the letter, visit: anca.org/NoGunsForTurkey

ANCA live footage of the attack served as source video for CNN, AP, The Washington Post, The Daily Caller and other major media, transforming the violent incident into a global spotlight on Erdogan’s attempt to export his intolerance and aggression to American shores.

The Sunday, June 4 edition of The New York Times featured a two-page center-spread investigative report on the May 16th attack, with online version of the coverage translated to Turkish and shared widely on social media. The report identified Yildirim and Narin as having participated in the attacks.

The New York Times coverage is available here:

The ANCA is cited by The New York Times as a source for this report.

The May 16 protest in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence was a continuation of a demonstration held earlier in the day in front of the White House, co-hosted by the ANCA. As President Trump met with President Erdogan. Human rights and religious rights groups were joined by representatives of the Kurdish, Yezidi, and Armenian communities to call attention to the Erdogan regime’s escalating repression against free press, the Kurdish and other ethnic communities, as well as Turkey’s ongoing obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide.

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Armenian Weekly
June 15 2017
Ankara Calls Decision to Charge Turkish Security Detail ‘Unacceptable’; Summons U.S. Ambassador

By Weekly Staff on June 15, 2017

ANCA’s Hamparian: ‘Erdogan’s Doubling Down on Denial… He’s Targeting our Values, Telling us When We Can and Cannot Speak out as U.S. Citizens’

ANKARA (A.W.)—The United States Ambassador in Ankara John Bass was by Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Ambassador Ümit Yalçın, shorty after arrest warrants for a group of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security personnel were issued earlier today. The charges stem from an unprovoked attack on peaceful protesters by members of Erdogan’s security detail in Washington on May 16.

The statement released by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that the May 16 attack would not have occurred if the U.S. authorities “had taken the usual measures they take in similar high level visits,” and claims that Turkish citizens cannot be held responsible for the incident that took place.

http://armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/1435874821805-1.jpg

Ambassador John Bass (Photo: Daily Sabah)

“It has been conveyed to the Ambassador that this decision taken by U.S. authorities is wrong, biased, and lacks legal basis; that the brawl in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s Residence was caused by the failure of local security authorities to take necessary measures; that this incident would not have occurred if the U.S. authorities had taken the usual measures they take in similar high level visits and therefore that Turkish citizens cannot be held responsible for the incident that took place,” read a part of the statement.

According to the Ministry, the U.S. Ambassador has also been informed that the tolerance of the U.S. authorities towards the protesters to approach the Turkish Residence “with flags and symbols of terrorist organization and their assault to innocent citizens,” as well as the lack of any action taken against the U.S. security personnel “who assaulted Turkish security guards,” run counter to any “understanding of justice.”

“It has been emphasized that the decision, which clearly was not taken as a result of an impartial and independent investigation, is unacceptable,” concluded the Ministry’s statement.

“Erdogan’s doubling down on denial,” Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian told the Armenian Weekly. “Drawing on the same playbook Ankara has used in Washington since the time of the Armenian Genocide, he is—against all evidence—blaming the victim and trying to bully everyone else into silence. This time, in a fit of unprecedented anger and arrogance, Erdogan’s openly insulting U.S. law enforcement and unapologetically assuming for himself the right to deny Americans our inalienable rights and Constitutional freedoms.”

According to Hamparian, the move to condemn the decision to charge the members of the security detail is an attack on American values. “Having intimidated U.S. leaders into silence on the Armenian Genocide, basically enforcing a foreign gag-rule on what we can say about our own American history, he’s [Erdogan] now targeting our values, telling us when we can and cannot speak out as U.S. citizens,” Hamparian said.

During a press conference on June 15, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham announced that arrest warrants have been issued for the arrest of 12 members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail and Turkish police officers in connection with the May 16 attack on peaceful protesters in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C.

According to a Washington D.C. Police Department press release, a total of 18 individuals have been charged or are facing charges. Photographs of the 14 individuals, including Turkish security officers, who have outstanding warrants for their arrests, were also released by D.C. Police.

http://armenianweekly.com/2017/06/15/ankara-summons-u-s-ambassador/

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19221662_10154859945496859_4069266283023

That's right!

The President of NATO "ally" Turkey, Recep Erdogan, is now, by all accounts, the subject of a U.S. law enforcement "probable cause" investigation regarding his possible role in ordering the May 16th attack on peaceful Washington, DC protesters.

That's the power of viral video and a real tribute to your fast action via social media to spread word of this attack worldwide. Thank you! — at Armenian National Committee of America.

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's much easier if you just keep erDOGan out of the country, the problem is solved!

Armenian Weekly

June 26 2017
Report: German Foreign Ministry Warns Erdogan’s Guards to Stay Away from G20 Summit in Hamburg

By Weekly Staff on June 26, 2017

BERLIN, Germany (A.W.)—Germany’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has cautioned Turkish bodyguards involved the attack on peaceful protesters in Washington D.C., not to attend the upcoming G20 summit next month.

http://armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aattack.png

A screenshot from a video of the May 16 Washington D.C. attack by Turkish security forces on peaceful protesters, captured by Voice of America’s Turkish service (Photo: Voice of America)

According to several German media outlets, the warnings to the bodyguards were then repeated to Bundestag (Parliament) members in closed-door meetings.

The National daily Die Welt reported that the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said that foreign powers did not hold sovereign powers, saying, “foreign colleagues only have the right to self-defense.”

“On our streets, only the Hamburg police have a say—and no one else,” Hamburg Senator Andy Grote told Die Welt. “This includes foreign security forces.”

On July 7-8, leaders of the G20 nations will gather in Hamburg, Germany, for their annual summit.

The Turkish Embassy in Berlin sent the German Foreign Ministry a list of 50 individuals who were to accompany Erdogan to Hamburg, which included several agents who were involved in an incident in Washington, according to the daily Hamburger Abendblatt.

On May 16, a group of peaceful demonstrators protesting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official visit to the United States, were attacked by pro-Erdogan groups—including members of Erdogan’s security team—at the Sheridan Circle near the residence of the Turkish Ambassador to the U.S.

During a press conference on June 15, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham announced that arrest warrants have been issued for the arrest of 12 members of Erdogan’s security detail and Turkish police officers in connection with the May 16 attack on peaceful protesters in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C.

According to a Washington D.C. Police Department press release, a total of 18 individuals have been charged or are facing charges. Photographs of the 14 individuals, including Turkish security officers, who have outstanding warrants for their arrests, were also released by D.C. Police.

On June 6, with a vote of 397 to 0, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously condemned Turkey in response to the attacks, taking a powerful stand against Ankara’s attempts to export its violence and intolerance to America’s shores.

http://armenianweekly.com/2017/06/26/germany-g20-turkish-guards/

 

 

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news.am, Armenia
July 4 2017
Germany's MFA warns Erdogan against even appearing at Turkish consulate
14:45, 04.07.2017
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Germany's Foreign Ministry warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against even appearing at a Turkish consulate or speaking via web video link during his visit to Germany for G20 summit, DW reported.

Commenting on a suspected rumors that the Turkish president would defy the German government, Martin Schaefer said that doing so “would be an affront to the clearly expressed will of the government and a violation of German sovereignty.”

According to him, the government of Germany had options for influencing such actions.

https://news.am/eng/news/398541.html

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ANCA "A Democratic lawmaker from Rhode Island is seeking to block the U.S. sale of Lockheed Martin-made F-35 fighter jets to Turkey over an attack on protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington two months ago.
Rep. David Cicilline, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, has proposed the ban as an amendment to the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by the House Armed Services Committee last month. The House is expected to take up the bill and deal with amendments next week."

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Very soon all furkish politicians will be barred from the world!

PanArmenian, Armenia

July 10 2017
Austria bars Turkish economy minister from entering the country
http://media.pn.am/media/issue/243/806/photo/243806.jpg
July 10, 2017 - 11:33 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Austria said Monday, July 10 it had barred Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci from entering the country to attend a rally marking the anniversary of last year's failed coup attempt in Turkey, AFP reports.

"He has been barred because his visit was not planned as part of a bilateral exchange, but was about his public appearance at an event marking the coup attempt," foreign ministry spokesman Thomas Schnoell told AFP.

Zeybekci's attendance would have represented a "danger for public order", he said.

The foreign ministry did not say when the rally was due to take place.

The move came three days after the Dutch government warned Turkey against sending its deputy premier, Tugrul Turkes, to address a rally in the eastern Netherlands this week to mark the abortive coup.

Ties between Ankara and the European Union have been strained over the crackdown that followed the July 15 2016 attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Earlier this year, several countries including Austria and Germany banned pro-Ankara rallies ahead of a controversial referendum in April on granting Erdogan sweeping powers.

Turkish ministers had been heading to Europe to whip up support for a "yes" vote among millions of Turkey's voters who live abroad.

Some 360,000 people of Turkish origin live in Austria, including 117,00 Turkish citizens. Many are believed to be pro-Erdogan supporters whose vote helped him win the referendum.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/243806/

 

 

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news.am, Armenia

July 11 2017
Swedish lawmakers file genocide complaint against Erdogan
18:26, 11.07.2017
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Five Swedish lawmakers have filed a legal complaint accusing Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Local.se reported quoting AFP.

It is said that the suit filed by MPs from the Left and Green parties relates to the conflict in Turkey's Kurdish majority south-east.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim is also mentioned in the suit. According to the Swedish law adopted in 2014, the country's courts can judge cases of alleged crimes against humanity regardless of where they have been committed or by whom.

If prosecutors decide to launch an investigation, Erdogan could risk an arrest warrant in Sweden, the lawmakers said.

The lawmakers also hope that their colleagues from other European countries would follow their lead.

https://news.am/eng/news/399826.html

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Asbarez Armenian News

July 19 2017
Members of Congress Demand Erdogan Apologize for Embassy Attack
http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Rohrabacher.jpgRep. Dana Rohrabacher during the protest
http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Poe.jpgRep. Ted Poe during the protest
http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Costa.jpgRep. Jim Costa urges Erdogan to apologize
http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/McGovern.jpgRep, Jim McGovern speaks during the protet
http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Sarbanes.jpgSen. Paul Sarbanes at the protest

WASHINGTON—Senior members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Ted Poe (R-TX), Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and John Sarbanes (D-MD) condemned Turkish President Erdogan’s violent crackdown – both in Turkey and the U.S. – during “A Stand for Free Speech” held at Washington, DC’s Sheridan Circle, site of the May 16th attack by the Turkish presidential security detail which hospitalized nice people, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“We’re here affirming our First Amendment freedoms – rejecting Ankara’s violent efforts to enforce its gag-rule against American citizens,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), which organized the event in coordination with the Sheridan Circle May 16 Initiative (including many victims of the beatings), and a host of Kurdish, Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and Christian groups including the American Kurdish Association (AKA), In Defense of Christians, American Hellenic Council, Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights, A Demand for Action, Hellenic American Leadership Council, AHEPA, and the Armenian Youth Federation.

“The idea that a foreign tyrant can come to the United States […] and allow his goons to beat up Americans on American soil is preposterous,” said Rep. Poe, who went on to call for the extradition of those charged with the attack. “They need to have a trial and they need to go to jail, if they’re convicted. All of them – all of them involved in the assault.” Rep. Poe, who had called for Congressional colleagues to join him in returning to the site of the May 16th beatings during the May 25th House Foreign Affairs Committee consideration of a measure condemning the crimes, was unequivocal: “The Turkish Government is responsible for that action, and they need to be held accountable.”

Rep. Jim McGovern voiced similar concerns, calling on the “State Department and the Justice Department to do everything they can to extradite the perpetrators of this vicious attack on US citizens and US soil. They need to be held to account.” He noted that the Turkish government “showed its brutality when faced with people who disagree with them — people who believe in the reality of the Armenian Genocide, people who believe in the reality of freedom of religion in Turkey, people who believe in the reality of minority rights in Turkey, and people who believe in the reality of the security of Greece and Cyprus.”

Citing the increasing repression within Turkey, Rep. Rohrabacher stressed that, “Erdogan beat people here… and the American people need to know this was nothing compared to the suppression and brutality that Erdogan is showing his own people in Turkey.” He went on to send a clear message to Turkey’s authoritarian regime: “Until [Erdogan] apologizes to the American people for having his thugs beat up American citizens who are expressing their opinion, Mr. Erdogan should not be welcome to come back in the United States for a visit.”

Rep. Costa concurred, noting “The Turkish government owes us an apology and more than that; those injuries that took place are a reflection of the lack of respect of human rights in Turkey today where literally thousands of Turkish citizens have found themselves imprisoned, found members of the press in jail, only for trying to protect their own views.”

Rep. Paul Sarbanes reminded President Erdogan that “in this country, under our First Amendment, under our constitutional democracy, we have the right to peaceably assemble.” He noted that Turkey’s authoritarianism is nothing new for those in attendance of the protest – “discrimination, aggression, repression, (and) violence directed at the Kurds, at Armenians, at other ethnic and religious minorities, and of course there’s the shameful legacy of the Armenian Genocide.”

A number of victims of the brutal attacks spoke out in defiance of President Erdogan’s authoritarian tactics.

“As an American citizen, I was violated from exercising [my] first amendment right of freedom of speech,” said Sayid Reza Yasa, who lost a tooth, required stitches on his nose, and continues to suffer from the consequences of a concussion. “I will never be afraid of them, but next time I go, I’ll take my hard hat with me, just in case.”

Ceren Borazan, who was videotaped in a choke-hold by a member of the Turkish security detail, outlined the litany of ongoing repression in Turkey. “A half million Kurdish people have been displaced,” said Borazan. “More than 5,000 politicians and activists arrested in just 2 years. Erdogan has jailed more than 150 journalists and closed over 200 media outlets. He has fired more than 5,000 academics and also shut down 2,000 academics. He also tells women how many children they should have, targeting women’s rights.”

A third victim, Lucy Usoyan, who is of Yezidi origin and hails from Armenia, reminded attendees: “We all have seen what happened on May 16th. Our fundamental rights as U.S. citizens have been threatened by Turkish government. President Erdogan, himself, wanted to silence our voices, but instead he made sure that we have been heard worldwide.”

Hellenic American Leadership Council’s Michael Maragos noted: “The Greek-American community shared everyone’s shock when we watched when peaceful protesters were attacked by Turkish thugs on American soil. We were shocked but not surprised. For 100 years, Turkey has ignored the rule of law.”

The diverse group of community leaders were also joined by Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian of Soorp Khatch Armenian Church, as well as by a Congressional aides, including those representing the offices of Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
The July 19th gathering comes a month after Washington, DC law enforcement issued 18 arrest warrants – including a dozen against Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s bodyguards and two Canadians of Turkish origin. Two Americans of Turkish heritage have already been arrested for assault and various related crimes. Hours after the arrest warrants were issued, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass and, according to a press statement, “emphasized that the decision, which clearly was not taken as a result of an impartial and independent investigation, is unacceptable.” President Erdogan later reacted angrily to news of these arrests, asking “What kind of a law is this? … If they [bodyguards] are not going to protect me, why would I bring them with me to America?” Erdogan vowed to fight the charges leveled against his bodyguards.

The ANCA’s Hamparian was videotaping live at the scene of the May 16th attack, which took place in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence where President Erdogan was scheduled to have a closed-door meeting with think tank leaders. Hamparian’s video showed pro-Erdogan forces crossing a police line and beating peaceful protesters – elderly men and several women – who were on the ground bleeding during most of the attack.

Hamparian testified before a May 25th Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on this matter. Joining him at the hearing were Ms. Lusik Usoyan, Founder and President of the Ezidi Relief Fund; Mr. Murat Yusa, a local businessman and protest organizer; and Ms. Ruth Wedgwood, Edward B. Burling Professor of International Law and Diplomacy, at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Usoyan and Yusa were victims of the brutal assault on May 16th by President Erdogan’s bodyguards.

On June 6th, with a vote of 397 to 0, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously condemned Turkey in response to the attacks, taking a powerful stand against Ankara’s attempts to export its violence and intolerance to America’s shores. H.Res.354, spearheaded by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), has received the public backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI). On July 14th, the U.S. House also unanimously adopted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill, championed by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman David Trott (R-MI), raising objections to a proposed U.S. sale of handguns for use by the very Erdogan security detail involved in the May 16th attack.

Over 100 Senate and House members expressed outrage over the attacks through public statements, social media, and a series of Congressional letters.

The May 16th protest in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence was a continuation of a demonstration held earlier in the day in front of the White House, co-hosted by the ANCA. As President Trump met with President Erdogan. human rights and religious rights groups were joined by representatives of the Kurdish, Yezidi and Armenian communities to call attention to the Erdogan regime’s escalating repression against free press, the Kurdish and other ethnic communities, as well as Turkey’s ongoing obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide.

http://asbarez.com/165023/members-of-congress-demand-erdogan-apologize-for-embassy-attack/

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  • 4 weeks later...

Very easy solution, tourists from every country should boycott Turkey and teach this despot a lesson!

Newsmax

Aug 10 2017
Erdogan's Turkey Increasingly Dangerous for Christians
A picture taken on June 9, 2016, shows Hagia Sofia in the historical district of Istanbul. (Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images)

By Lela Gilbert
Thursday, 10 Aug 2017 08:00 AM

 

What a stunning, intriguing travel destination Turkey used to be. And once upon a time, it was a uniquely safe and secular state remarkably free of extremism, despite a teeming, overwhelmingly Muslim population that numbers some 79.5 million souls.

Nowadays, however, Turkey is being progressively radicalized under the firm hand of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey’s tiny community of some 160,000 Christians is all too aware of the encroaching danger they face.

Erdogan was prime minister of Turkey from 2003 until 2014, and has been president since 2014. Over those years his penchants for despotic rule and Islamism have become increasingly evident.

Of course, the trouble for Christians didn’t start with Erdogan. Armenian, Syriac, and Pontic Greek Christians have never forgotten the genocide that took place in Turkey in the early 20thCentury, when well over a million of their own died at the hands of Turkish killers.

In recent years, the future of Turkey’s Christians has darkened dramatically. Just over a year ago a failed coup attempted to overthrow Erdogan and his hardline AKP political party. Since then, an ongoing purge of “terrorists” has led to tens of thousands across the country being arrested and jailed. The country’s religious minorities have seen the writing on the wall.

Following the coup attempt, Turkey expert Aykan Erdemir at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) explained, “On August 7, in a demonstration of solidarity, Turkey’s Jewish and Christian religious leaders joined the ‘Democracy and Martyrs’ rally, the government’s million-strong anti-coup demonstration in Istanbul. In denouncing the coup plotters, however, three of the speakers insulted religious minorities by tarring the plotters as ‘seeds of Byzantium,’ ‘crusaders,’ and as a ‘flock of infidels.’”

Even before the failed coup, Christians had endured sporadic violence. Two Catholic clergymen were murdered — a priest in 2006 and a bishop in 2010. In 2007, a well-known Armenian journalist was assassinated. Just a few months later, a German and two Turkish converts to Christianity were brutally killed — some say ritually tortured — while working at a Christian publishing house.

Justice was certainly not served on behalf of any of those Christians.

Aykan writes, “The five culprits of the publishing-house massacre were released in 2014, and the murderer of the priest walked [in 2015]. The Armenian editor’s assassin received a hero’s welcome when brought into the police station, where officers praised his courage and asked him to pose with the Turkish flag.”

The pressure on Christians hasn’t come solely from physical assaults. Just weeks ago, Fox News reported that the Turkish state has seized some 50 religious properties from the Christian minority: “Mor Gabriel — one of the world’s oldest working monasteries since it was started in the 5th Century — filed an appeal against the confiscations, but it was rejected in May by a governmental commission tasked with liquidating the seized assets.”

At the same time, Muslim prayers are now being offered in Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, one of the world’s oldest and perhaps the most splendid of all historic Christian churches.

Threats, thefts, beatings, and murders that are applauded by state officials are appalling. But a particularly ominous action took place in October 2016, apparently as another by-product of the abortive coup.

American pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife, Norine, were arrested and accused of “activities against national security.” The Brunsons have lived and ministered in Turkey for more than 20 years. They were locked up in isolation for nearly two weeks, and were forbidden to seek legal counsel or alert U.S. embassy representatives.

Eventually Brunson’s wife was released, but Brunson is still being held — despite a direct appeal from President Trump to President Erdogan. The White House reported that Mr. Trump “raised the incarceration of Pastor Andrew Brunson and asked that the Turkish government expeditiously return him to the United States.”’

Andrew Brunson remains behind bars, presumably being held as a pawn for some future political chess game between Turkey and Western powers. Turkey’s Christian community remains on high alert alongside Jews and other religious minorities, feeling very much at risk.

In the meantime, Turkey’s panoramic tourist sites continue to tempt travelers — especially Christians who want to explore New Testament locales.

The Christian tourists come to witness glorious relics of Turkey’s past. But increasingly, they find a land whose spectacular beauty is overshadowed Erdogan’s ever-tightening fist.

Newsmax Religion and Freedom Editor Lela Gilbert is an internationally recognized expert on religious persecution, an award-winning writer, and an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute who lived in Jerusalem for over a decade. Her book "Saturday People, Sunday People: Israel through the Eyes of a Christian Sojourner" received wide critical acclaim. She is also the co-author of "Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians" and "Blind Spot: When Journalists Don’t Get Religion." Follow her on Twitter @LelaGilbert. To read more of her reports.

http://www.newsmax.com/LelaGilbert/turkey-erdogan-christians-andrew-brunson/2017/08/09/id/806750/

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

ANCA : BREAKING NEWS: A grand jury called by the District of Columbia Superior Court just issued indictments against 19 people, including the 12 of Turkish President Erdogan's bodyguards, on a charge of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, with a bias crime enhancement following the May 16th brutal beating of peaceful protesters in Washington, DC. Many were indicted on additional charges. More information to come.

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Panorama, Armenia

Aug 30 2017






Nineteen indicted over brawl during Turkish leader's U.S. visit



A grand jury on Tuesday indicted 19 people, including 15 Turkish security officials, in connection with a brawl in Washington between protesters and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s security personnel in May, Reuters reports, citing the U.S. prosecutors.


Eleven people were hurt in what Washington’s police chief described as a “brutal attack” on peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence during Erdogan’s visit to the United States.


The incident, which took place after Erdogan met with President Donald Trump at the White House, put further stress on already strained U.S.-Turkey relations.


The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a statement charges had already been brought against 16 of the defendants, and Tuesday’s indictment added three to the list.


The three were named as Muhsin Kose, Yusuf Ayar and Harrettin Eren, adding they were among the 15 Turkish security officials indicted. The statement did not specify the others in the list.


“All 19 defendants were indicted on a charge of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, with a bias crime enhancement,” it said. The charge is punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison and bias enhancement could lead to longer sentences, the statement said.


Some defendants face additional charges.


Only two of the 19 are in custody, and they are due to appear in court on Sept. 7, the statement said.


The Turkish Embassy has blamed the violence on demonstrators linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which Turkey and the United States consider a terrorist group.



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Agence France Presse
August 29, 2017 Tuesday 10:40 PM GMT


Three more Erdogan guards indicted over Washington melee

Washington, Aug 29 2017

The US Justice Department charged three more bodyguards of Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for assaulting protestors in Washington
in May in a brawl that marred an official White House visit.

In a fresh indictment, a total of 19 members of Erdogan's security
detail were identified from detailed video footage of the May 16
daylight attack on Kurdish and Armenian protesters outside the
residence of Turkey's ambassador, following a meeting between Erdogan
and President Donald Trump.

Videos show the Erdogan guards viciously beating and kicking
protestors on the ground in the leafy "Embassy Row" section of
downtown Washington.

The three names added to the case were Turkish security officials
Muhsin Kose, Yusuf Ayar, and Harrettin Eren.

A total of 21 counts of assault and hate crimes based on the victims'
ethnicity were leveled against the group by Washington, DC district
attorney Channing Phillips.

The indictment accused the group of "conspiracy... to: (1) assault and
kick protesters who were assembled in front of the Turkish Chief of
Mission Residence ... and (2) assault American law enforcement
officers who attempted to stop the continued assault against the
protesters."

The 19 "were members and associates of a group of political allies -
security personnel and supporters of Turkish President Recip Tayyip
Erdogan," it said.

"The members and associates of this group were bound together by their
aversion towards a group of persons who oppose Mr. Erdogan."

All but two of the 19 remain at large. Two Turkish-American
businessmen were arrested in June for their roles in the daylight
attack on protestors. Of the other 17, two are Canadians, and the rest
Turkish nationals.

In June, Erdogan lashed back at the allegations, accusing US police of
having allowed "terrorists" to protest "50 meters from me" during his
US visit.

"Why would I bring my guards with me to the United States, if not to
protect me?" he said in a speech in Ankara, adding that he will fight
the charges "politically and judicially."

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ANCA
10 hrs ·

#DoublingDown: Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lectures US on "justice," calling this week's indictments against 19 of his security detail and supporters who brutally beat up peaceful protesters in Washington DC a "scandal". If convicted, attackers can receive extended sentences of up to 15 years for the ethnically motivated hate crimes.

The ANCA has called for the immediate "extradition of President Erdogan’s security detail, and for the Republic of Turkey to pay reparations to the victims of these heinous crimes. Erdogan’s failure to take these concrete steps in the furtherance of rule of law and justice, must result in the immediate expulsion of Turkey’s Ambassador to the U.S. and any additional sanctions available.” #StopErdogan

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  • 3 weeks later...

Even though nothing will come out of this, still feels good to send a message to erDOGan!!!!!!! and his ignorant fools!!!!!!!

Turkish president: Trump apologized for indictment of security staff in brawl
© AP Recep Tayyip Erdoğan listens to Donald Trump during a dinner at UN headquarters.

 

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, claimed that Donald Trump called to apologize for the US indictment of 19 people, including 15 Turkish security officials, over a violent brawl with peaceful anti-Erdoğan protesters in Washington this year.

In an interview with PBS’s Judy Woodruff to air Tuesday night, Erdogan said, according to a translator: “President Trump called me about a week ago about this issue. He said that he was sorry and he told me that he was going to follow up on this issue when we come to the United States within the framework of an official visit.”

White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In May, according to witnesses, violence broke out when the Turkish president’s security detail attacked protesters while Erdogan was visiting Washington DC. The protesters were waving a flag of a Kurdish political party. Nine people were injured. One eyewitness, Seyid Riza Dersimi, told the Guardian at the time: “This is crazy – they are kicking us, I could have died – this is America, this is unacceptable.”

In the aftermath of the clash, Senator John McCain demanded that the Turkish ambassador to the United States be expelled from the country in response. “We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America,” McCain said in an interview.

The Arizona senator added: “These are not just average people that did this beating. This is Erdoğan’s security detail. Somebody told them to go and beat up on these peaceful demonstrators, and I think it should have repercussions, including identifying these people and bringing charges against them.”

In June, 16 participants in the violence were charged by Washington police for their involvement. A total of nineteen were formally indicted in August for variety of crimes. All were with charged conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. This charge came with a bias crime enhancement which, under DC law, could increase the length of the sentence by up to 50%.

Two of the men, both of whom are American, have been arrested. The other 17, including 15 Turkish security officials and 2 Canadians, are still at large.

The incident aggravated the already tense relationship between the United States and Turkey. The two countries have clashed over US support for Kurdish rebels in Syria as well as Turkish demands that the United States extradite Fethullah Gülen, a cleric whom Erdoğan blames for a 2016 coup attempt. In addition, Erdoğan has become the subject of criticism internationally, as he has moved to consolidate power in Turkey, particularly in the aftermath of the 2016 coup, cracking down on press freedom and civil liberties.

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Panorama, Armenia
Sept 22 2017
Fighting breaks out at Turkish president’s speech in New York

Violence broke out at a New York hotel Thursday afternoon when protesters disrupted a speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, The New York Times reported.

According to the source, in the middle of Mr. Erdogan’s speech, delivered in Turkish, a man — one of a handful of protesters — screamed in English: “You’re a terrorist. Get out of my country!” The ballroom at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square instantly erupted, with many attendees chanting Mr. Erdogan’s name to drown out the protesters.

Videos showed the protesters — one of them wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a picture of Michael Israel, an American who was killed in a Turkish airstrike while volunteering with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or Y.P.G. — being punched and slapped by several attendees as security personnel removed them from the room. Security also removed at least one person who had assaulted the protesters.

The New York Police Department said about five protesters were “briefly detained.” No arrests were made, and no injuries were reported.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2017/09/22/Fighting-breaks-out-at-Turkish-president%E2%80%99s-speech-in-New-York/1838473

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The Armenian Weekly
Sept 22 2017
‘Rally for Freedom’ Against Erdogan and Aliyev’s Dictatorships Takes Place in New York

By Contributor on September 22, 2017

Armenian, Hellenic, Kurdish, and Other Groups Raise Their Voices against Erdogan and Aliyev

NEW YORK (A.W.)— The North American Kurdish Alliance, the “Kevok” Foundation, the Hellenic American Leadership Council, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Eastern Region, as well as other pro-democracy and human rights groups held a “Rally for Freedom” on Sept. 20 demanding an end to the dictatorial rule of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The rally took place in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York City as the two leaders addressed the UN General Assembly.

21935480_10214156888780438_1396945351_n.

Pro-democracy and human rights groups held a “Rally for Freedom” on Sept. 20 demanding an end to the dictatorial rule of Turkish President Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Aliyev (Photo: Armenian Public TV)

“The serious deterioration of democracy and disrespect of fundamental human rights in Turkey and Azerbaijan are of grave concern, and reflect the contempt both regimes have for international law,” said ANCA Eastern Region Chairman Steve Mesrobian. “When the world community does not hold them accountable for treating their own citizens so poorly, it should be no surprise that these regimes are emboldened to commit brutal violence and war crimes against Armenians, Kurds, and others outside their borders in Artsakh and Syria, further destabilizing an already unsettled region.”

Protesters at the rally called on the regimes to release jailed journalist and political prisoners,

stop their denial of the Armenian Genocide, end the illegal economic blockade of Armenia and Artsakh, and stop their export of violence. Fifteen personal bodyguards of Turkish President Erdogan are under indictment for their attacks on peaceful protesters in Washington, D.C., in May.

“To deflect attention from these egregious actions, and from the rampant corruption in their countries, both Azerbaijan and Turkey have engaged in ‘caviar diplomacy’ to influence Western democracies, investing millions of dollars to have them look the other way,” continued Mesrobian.

21931239_10214156887220399_1841107168_o-

Pro-democracy and human rights groups held a “Rally for Freedom” on Sept. 20 demanding an end to the dictatorial rule of Turkish President Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Aliyev (Photo: Armenian Public TV)

A recent investigative report produced by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and other groups has uncovered close to $3 billion used by Azerbaijan in an apparent money laundering and bribery campaign waged throughout Europe. Turkey has used similar tactics, and has spent millions on lobbying and PR firms in the U.S. and Europe.

Below is video from the protest (Video: ANCA-ER)

 

Additional video coverage of the event by the Armenian Public TV is available here.

https://armenianweekly.com/2017/09/22/rally-for-freedom-ny/

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Who's telling the truth?

Aravot, Armenia

Sept 22 2017
White House denies Trump apologized to Erdogan over attack on DC protesters
The White House has denied claims made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that President Trump apologized to him over the attack’s by Erdogan’s bodyguards on peaceful protesters in front of the Turkish ambassador’s residence in DC in May.
Erdogan told PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff on Monday that when two spoke on September 9, Trump told him he was sorry for what happened.
“Actually, President Trump called me about a week ago about this issue,” Erdogan told Woodruff. “He said that he was sorry, and he told me that he was going to follow up on this issue when we come to the United States within the framework of an official visit. The protesters were insulting us, and they were screaming and shouting. The police failed to intervene properly.”
White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters told CNN on Wednesday that “the topic was discussed. There was no apology.”
The White House on Monday announced that the Trump Administration has officially withdrawn http://asbarez.com/166616/white-house-withdraws-proposed-arms-sale-to-erdogans-security-detail/ its controversial proposal to allow the sale of U.S. semi-automatic handguns to Erdogan’s security detail, which, in May attacked peaceful American protesters in Washington.
The House, in July, passed the Trott Amendment, a measure strongly backed by the ANCA, against the arms sale. Following this vote, Michigan Republican Rep. Dave Trott, said: “We need to block this arms sale and once and for all point a finger in Erdogan’s chest and tell him that a strategic location does not place Turkey above the law.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrat Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) were among the first to raise objections to the sale. Notably, Royce formally communicated to Secretary of State Tillerson his strong opposition to the deal, calling the conduct of the Turkish guards “unprofessional and brutal.”

 

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All over again, they can't take criticism.

 

A1+
Erdogan’s supporters again use force in US territory (video)
  • 10:43 | September 23,2017 | Politics
  • Հայ
http://en.a1plus.am/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/F317793E-9A5C-4B84-8D24-F1CAC773A849_w1023_r1_s-472x265.jpg

Voice of America

President Donald Trump met with Recep Erdogan, President of Turkey, during the UN General Assembly session in New York.

President Donald Trump greeted the President of Turkey, calling him his friend, who rules a very difficult part of the world with honor. The sides discussed a number of issues of mutual interest.

This was the first meeting after the incident taken place in Washington, D.C., when Erdogan’s supporters and security officers beat anti-Erdogan demonstrators. Both Erdogan’s bodyguards and security personnel of the Turkish Embassy took part in the incident. It happened short after the meeting of the presidents at the White House.

Some days ago, another act of violence took place during the event in New York where Erdogan participated. Hours ago, before the presidents’ meeting, in one of hotels in New York, Erdogan’s supporters beat three demonstrators who had interrupted Erdogan’s speech.

In New York, Erdogan, in front of hundreds of participants, made a speech at the event organized by one of the Turkish-American business organizations. The President’s speech was interrupted by a person who exclaimed the word “terrorist.”

The video shot by “Voice of America” shows how the security guards attempted to pull out the person from the hall to a safer segment, under the blows of Erdogan’s supporters. Later, when the second person began to exclaim the same word, he was also subjected to violence by Erdogan’s supporters, getting hit by the Turkish flag. The latter was also taken out of the hall by the security officers. The same thing happened with the third person.

Erdogan responded by calling for calmness, emphasizing that there is no need to disrupt the event because of several terrorists.

This is the second incident registered by the use of violent force in the past four months with the participation of Erdogan’s security personnel, supporters in the United States, at President Erdogan’s presence. In the past years, incidents were recorded when the Turkish security forces tried to use force against protesters.

http://en.a1plus.am/1263876.html

 

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