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(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today a delegation of Amnesty International USA staff and volunteers protested human rights abuses in Turkey in front of the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a speech. Amnesty protestors were confronted by plainclothes Turkish security who threatened them and grabbed at their protest signs.
"Today’s confrontation in Washington vividly illustrates how little Turkey’s government values human rights such as freedom of the press and freedom of assembly. Those who were present at today’s protest saw firsthand the consequences of governments that violate human rights,” said T. Kumar, Amnesty International USA’s advocacy director for Europe.
Amnesty International USA urged President Obama to address human rights concerns with President Erdogan earlier this week.
Kumar, who was at the scene and was personally threatened by Turkish security, is available for interviews.