By PPJ
At the opening session of the hearing, hosted by the Helsinki Commission of the US Congress, Republican Congressman Michael C. Burgess said “” Washington is not Ankara and the Massachusetts Avenue is not an avenue in Turkey”.
Reminding the recent incident in which supporters of President Erdogan, along with his own security, attacked a group of protestors outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington DC, Congressman Burgess underscored his resentment by saying that “in this country, we do not attack those we disagree with. We do not start brawls to silence our detractors. Erdogan may be able to declare a perpetual state of emergency in Turkey and change the constitution to better suit his desires. But Washington is not Ankara and the Massachusetts Avenue is not an avenue in Turkey.”
“Ataturk would not have supported imprisonment of innocent people”
With regard to the arrest of American citizens and thousands of civilians in Turkey, Burgess said “I respect Turkish sovereignty and their self determination. However, when President Erdogan begins targetting American citizens, this is a breach too far.
“Ataturk would not have supported neither the clashes between the military and civilans on the streets nor the imprisonment of innocents” added Burgess.
Burgess also asserted that even though the Turkish government submitted a formal request for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, neither the State Department nor the Justice Department has received any information that would cause the US to comply with this request.
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