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Washington: Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel Introduce Turkish R

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  • Washington: Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel Introduce Turkish R

    CHAIRMAN ROYCE, RANKING MEMBER ENGEL INTRODUCE TURKISH RELIGIOUS FREEDOM LEGISLATION

    Congressional Documents and Publications
    March 31, 2014

    Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) News Release

    Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House
    Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ranking
    Member of the Committee, introduced the Turkey Christian Churches
    Accountability Act (H.R. 4347). The legislation requires an annual
    report from the State Department on the status of stolen, confiscated
    or unreturned Christian properties in territories controlled by Turkey.

    Chairman Royce said: "This legislation holds Turkey accountable for
    its international obligations to protect and promote human rights,
    and it calls attention to Turkish leaders' broken promises to return
    church properties to their rightful owners. Over decades, Christian
    church properties, particularly those belonging to the Armenian,
    Syriac, and Greek Orthodox communities have been either violently
    overtaken or illegally confiscated by Turkish authorities under
    various excuses. These churches under Turkish control have been
    looted, converted to mosques, storehouses, casinos, vandalized and
    often irreparably damaged."

    "Vulnerable religious minorities deserve more than just piecemeal
    returns of their stolen religious properties. It is important that the
    United States continue to encourage Turkish leaders to uphold their
    commitments and return all remaining properties without further delay.

    This bill will make promoting religious freedom and tolerance in
    Turkey a U.S. diplomatic priority."

    Ranking Member Engel said: "The Republic of Turkey, and indeed
    all nations, have a responsibility to protect, restore, and return
    religious properties which have been unlawfully seized from their
    communities and rightful owners by state authorities. Armenian,
    Syriac, and Greek Orthodox communities in Turkey have for many years
    been seeking the return of their confiscated properties. The claims of
    these communities must be respected and addressed in a comprehensive
    and timely manner. This legislation calls on the Republic of Turkey
    to meet its international obligations, and urges the United States
    to prioritize the return of unlawfully seized religious properties in
    order to begin to resolve the legitimate claims of these communities."

    Read this original document at:
    http://engel.house.gov/latest-news1/chairman-royce-ranking-member-engel-introduce-turkish-religious-freedom-legislation/

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