Dear Attorney General Sessions and Secretary Tillerson.
I am writing concerning the brutal attack on individuals outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C. yesterday. Video evidence indicates men dressed in suits viciously beat multiple individuals, throwing them to the ground and kicking them in the head. Numerous news reports indicate these individuals were members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail who accompanied him on his official state visit this week. Alarmingly, this behavior is indicative of the broad crackdowns on political activists, journalists and religious freedom in Turkey that have greatly harmed Turkish democracy in recent years.
To send a clear message that these acts of violence will not be tolerated, I ask that you immediately look into this matter and bring all appropriate criminal charges before these individuals leave the United States. Agents of foreign governments should never be immune from prosecution for felonious behavior. Above all else, they should never be permitted to violate the protections afforded by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
EDWARD R. ROYCE
Chairman.
