A letter to the Turkish Ambassador to the U.S.

Tens of thousands of people are currently protesting in Turkish towns and cities. The protests were sparked by plans to destroy one of the last remaining green spaces in Istanbul but has “moved beyond that to become a broad rebuke to the 10-year leadership of [prime minister Erdogan]”. There is increasing concern around the State and its conservative agenda.

I’ve written a brief letter to Namik Tan, the Turkish ambassador to the U.S. Feel free to use as a template for your own letter to embassy.washingtondc@mfa.gov.tr or

Ambassador Namik Tan
Embassy, Republic of Turkey
2525 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008

More information via Amnesty International

Dear Ambassador Namik Tan:

I’m a U.S. citizen watching the events unfold in Turkey around Gezi Park. As a consequence, I’ve also come to learn about recent changes in Turkish law around civil liberties such as the sale and use of alcohol, right to abortion, and freedom of expression, which I find troubling.

The police has been reported as reacting to peaceful protestors in Istanbul and Ankara this weekend with excessive force. There has been use of tear gas, at times in confined spaces where exposure can be particularly dangerous. Pepper spray and water cannons have been used.  At least two people have been killed as a direct result of police brutality in the past few days. More than 1,700 people have been arrested according to Interior Minister Muammer Guler. Amnesty International suspects that more than 1000 people have been injured. Many of those detained will be put on trial for standing up to the government, and for voicing dissent against what they see as a gradual retraction of rights.

Excessive force against peaceful protesters, as has been evident in the police response to these protests, breaches international human rights standards and must be stopped. I believe that any decision to disperse an assembly should be taken only as a last resort and in line with the principles of necessity and proportionality.

I urge you to support impartial investigation into the allegations of excessive and unnecessary use of force by the police, and ensure that any law enforcement officials responsible for arbitrary or abusive use of force to be prosecuted.

Please help ensure the right to hold peaceful assembly and practice freedom of expression in Turkey. The world is watching.

Thank you,

Coleen Baik
San Francisco, CA