Bipartisan Bill Would Sanction Turkish Officials

A Senate bill with bipartisan support would require the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Turkish officials, according to a press release from the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The bill, the Defending United States Citizens and Diplomatic Staff from Political Prosecutions Act, was introduced April 9 by Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Ben Cardin, D-Md. It would sanction senior Turkish officials responsible for the detention of several American citizens over the last few years, including scientist Serkan Golge and pastor Andrew Brunson. “Our bill makes clear that the United States will not tolerate years of Turkish recalcitrance on these cases,” Cardin said in a statement. “Officials in the [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan regime responsible for these crimes must be held accountable under Global Magnitsky standards for their ongoing injustices.”