Images like these of young protesters, who expressed their disgust for President Erdogan’s policies, will resonate far longer than the violence perpetrated against them, later that day. This was shot in Lafayette Park in downtown D.C on May 16, 2016.
It’s simple to watch the harrowing images from D.C. on Tuesday as Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s bodyguards beat protesters outside the ambassador’s home on Sheridan Circle, and conclude that the day’s events were chaotic. Granted, over 10 people were hospitalized and sent to George Washington University Hospital as a result of the callous, vicious and unnecessary muggings orchestrated by Erdogan's guardians in broad daylight.
One should not overlook, however, that earlier on in the day, there were peaceful protests, which were pointed and meaningful, and brought a diverse bunch of activists - all of whom championed the tenets of democracy. They were united in their opposition to the autocratic rule of President Erdogan. Their hopes of a pluralistic Turkey were clear, hoping these goals could soon be exported there, even if currently they seem bleak.
“I am here with our Kurdish friends, human rights activists, and supporters for religious freedom,” Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) told me just after noontime on Tuesday at Lafayette Park.
“Our message is that [just because] [the U.S. and Turkey] are members of NATO, [it] does not represent a license for Turkey to violate the rights of its own citizens, to abuse the Kurdish population... and to deny the Armenian genocide... We’re here to say that the U.S. government has to take a principled stand,” he said.
Hamparian also implored Turkey to release leaders of the HDP - Peoples’ Democratic Party – where dozens remain in prison, including its co-chairmen Selahattin Demirtras and Figen Yüksekdağe. In November, many dissidents and perceived threats to Erdogan’s government were jailed in a major escalation of the government’s crackdown on its opponents following the failed coup on July 15.
Warrants were issued against media institutions as part of a systematic crackdown of the free press. In November, Turkey shut more than 160 media outlets and arrested around 100 journalists. The Guardian cited statistics by the International Press Institute, which logged more than 2,000 cases of online abuse, as well as death threats, threats of physical violence, and a slew of smear campaigns against journalists.
Earlier this week, Joel Simon, executive director of Committee to Protect Journalists titled his piece: “Trump gets cozy with the jailers of journalists.”
“When President Donald Trump meets with… “[Egypt, China and Turkey], count for more than half of all journalists imprisoned around the world," wrote Simon. “Attempts by countries like Turkey and Egypt to justify their media repression by claiming they are cracking down on terrorism and operative within democratic norms must be aggressively countered.” Simon also cited that 81 journalists in Turkey are still in jail.
Protesters objecting to Pres. Erdogan’s draconian policies let their passions be heard in Lafayette Park.
Deborah Klaus, of Arlington, felt compelled to participate in Tuesday's protest, largely to stand up against Erdogan’s draconian laws. “It’s terrifying. Any democracy, anywhere in the world, should be horrified by how quickly democracies could be extinguished,” Klaus told me.
“[The clamping down of the free press] is just accelerated... The rate of this acceleration, ever since the coup, has been horrifying. The bottom line is: if journalists aren’t there to tell the story, you’re going to just have a mouthpiece; we can’t have that. We [must] have a vibrant freedom of the press [with] every perspective and voice expressed.”
As an Armenian born in Baghdad, 23-year-old, Sipan Ohannesian, a student of University of California/Riverside, who also interns with the ANCA Capital Gateway Program in D.C., joined Tuesday's protest to challenge Erdogan’s tyrannical policies, in hopes that recognition will lead to peace. Turkey must acknowledge the Armenian genocide of over a century ago.
Sipan Ohannesian, a student of University of California/Riverside and an intern at ANCA Capital Gateway Program in DC, believes that Erdogan’s recognition of the Armenian genocide is imperative.
“We are trying to get [the Armenian genocide] recognized. It’s very important to get it recognized by the United States, and by Turkey itself,” Ohannesian told me. "Once there is recognition, and there’s peace between these countries, we can move and become good neighbors.“ Approximately 1.5 Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Ohannesian also turned to Erdogan's dictatorial policies when it comes to national defense. “There is evidence that they’ve been supporting ISIS. If you look at the Kurds in Turkey; that’s a huge population, and he’s bombing them, and killing innocent civilians. I don’t think people against terrorism would commit these kinds of killings against innocent civilians. He’s a dictator. You can see with the referendum that was just passed... All he cares about is his power.”
Erdogan's government has accused the HDP’s politicians of harboring sympathies for, and acting to further the interests of the Kurdistan Workers, party (PKK), a separatist group engaged in an insurgency against the government.
Mehmet Yuksel, a representative of the HDP in the United States, explained to me later at George Washington University Hospital, how the political party operates, and its hopes for a pluralistic Turkey.
“I work with HDP in the United States, which is mainly constituted with Kurds, but also with many other democratic and liberals in Turkey, and other minorities,” he said. “Our main goal is to bring tolerance to Turkey where everyone can be respected, and at the same time, can represent themselves with their identities, and not be excluded. We’re trying to build up a centralization where the minorities can represent themselves and try to know their cultural rights.”
Yuksel turned to the late afternoon’s violence as further evidence that Erdogan's government is a long way from promoting tolerance.
“We saw today how Erdogan’s bodyguards and protesters became violent… nobody [had] the intention to [make] a violent demonstration but... that there can’t even be a discussion [now]... When we went in front of the White House, we were making [our] slogans, and we saw guys following Erdogan [who were] filming everyone, face by face; trying to say, 'now we know who you are.... Erdogan “doesn’t keep the promises, and he’s getting more authoritarian and…making Turkey a more radical religious country,” he said.
To challenge policies of an autocratic leader should be paramount to conscientious citizens worldwide, and the Trump Administration should heed the words of these dedicated, educated and aware protesters who respect the rule of law, and we ought to condemn and reprimand forcefully those seek to stifle their voices.
The anti-Erodogan peaceful protest in downtown D.C.’s Lafayette Park brought an array of human rights and political causes to the forefront.