Bipartisan panel wants State Department to include Ankara on annual watch list
By Ari Ben Goldberg March 20, 2012, 6:37 pm
In its annual report released Tuesday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom notes that, despite its status as an electoral democracy, Turkey under Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan has failed to recognize religious communities as independent entities with full legal status. Turkish government officials routinely control and meddle in the internal governance, education, and worship rights of these communities. The commission also calls out Turkey — along with Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela – for its promotion and tolerance of anti-Semitism.
