A U.S. congressional human rights panel held two hearings in June documenting Turkey's political imprisonment of disside...

A U.S. congressional human rights panel held two hearings in June documenting Turkey's political imprisonment of dissidents, its denial of the Armenian Genocide, and its 52-year occupation of northern Cyprus, calling on Congress to sanction Turkish officials and block arms sales to Ankara. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, co-chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), heard testimony that Turkey currently holds more than 10,000 political prisoners, including journalists, lawyers, and elected officials jailed under counterterrorism laws that have grown increasingly abusive across Erdogan's 23 years in power. On Cyprus, Republic of Cyprus Ambassador Evangelos Savva testified that Turkey continues to block access to mass graves holding Cypriots killed during the 1974 invasion, including at least five American citizens, and refuses to cooperate with investigators tracing the missing. "This is a particular stain on Turkey," Savva said, describing families still denied closure more than five decades later. Witnesses also pushed back hard on Turkey's bid to rejoin the F-35 program and its proposed $700 million purchase of GE F-110 jet engines. Savas Tsivicos of PSEKA testified that these weapons are not aimed at Russia, saying Erdogan "is in bed with Putin," and that the aircraft would instead be used against Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, all U.S. strategic allies. Sinan Ciddi of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies added that F-35 reintegration would let Turkey project its "Blue Homeland" maritime claims, which he described as a violation of international law. Specific demands from witnesses included expanding Global Magnitsky sanctions against Turkish officials, designating Turkey a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations, placing Turkey on the Financial Action Task Force blacklist, and rejecting its reintegration into the F-35 program entirely. Rep. Smith also recalled a Turkish ambassador once threatening U.S. access to Incirlik Air Base over Armenian Genocide recognition hearings. Michael Rubin of the Middle East Forum noted that threat never materialized, and that the United States and all 50 states recognized the genocide without...