Turkey nears point of no return for democracy, US lawmakers warn

(MENAFN-IANS) Washington, June 6 (IANS) Top US lawmakers and policy experts have issued a stark warning that Turkey is gradually moving away from democratic governance, with growing concerns over political repression, judicial independence and the jailing of opposition leaders ahead of a key NATO summit in Ankara next month.

In a hearing before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, lawmakers from both parties questioned whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government would allow meaningful political competition, as critics described an accelerating crackdown on opponents, journalists and civil society.

“The title of today’s hearing poses a question of immense importance. Can Turkey find its way to freedom?” » said Representative Christopher Smith, Co-Chair of the Commission.

Smith argued that democratic institutions in Turkey have been weakened to the point where “it will be very difficult to restore civil and political freedom in its most fundamental aspects, the rule of law, free and fair elections, judicial independence, religious freedom and respect for internationally recognized human rights.”

He highlighted the March 2025 arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan’s main political adversary, calling it a critical turning point.

“His arrest in March 2025 came on the same day his party was expected to nominate him as its candidate in the upcoming presidential election,” Smith said.

Rep. James McGovern, co-chair of the Commission, said the situation had deteriorated since previous congressional reviews of Turkey.

“I feel like things are getting worse,” McGovern said, citing reports from human rights organizations of pressure on opposition groups and journalists.

Several expert witnesses described Turkey as moving beyond what political scientists call “competitive authoritarianism” toward a system in which elections can no longer produce political change.

Andrew O’Donohue, a researcher at Harvard University and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told lawmakers that Turkey was approaching a watershed moment.

“Turkey today finds itself at a dangerous inflection point,” he said. “Turkey is moving from competitive authoritarianism, a system in which elections are unfair but can still be won for the opposition, to total authoritarianism, a system in which the opposition cannot obtain power through the ballot box.”

O’Donohue said Imamoglu’s imprisonment and legal action targeting the main opposition Republican People’s Party had raised doubts about voters’ ability to choose new leaders in the election.

Henri Barkey, an associate fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argued that power had become increasingly concentrated around Erdogan.

“What has emerged over the past decade is not simply an abstract democratic rollback, but a system of personal rule, a regime increasingly organized around the political survival, institutional prerogatives and personal preferences of a single individual,” he said.

Former political prisoner and US citizen Serkan Golge gave emotional testimony about his time in Turkish prisons for almost three years after being charged under anti-terrorism laws.

“I survived prison, but surviving is not justice,” Golge told lawmakers.

Describing the impact on his family, he recalled his son pleading during a border inspection after his release: “No, Dad, not again, not yet.”

Golge argued that Turkey’s anti-terrorism laws were being used to criminalize lawful behavior and urged Washington to pressure Ankara to comply with European Court of Human Rights rulings.

The hearing also focused on the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, scheduled for July. Witnesses urged the Trump administration to raise human rights concerns directly with Erdogan.

“The Turkish government wants to cooperate with the United States,” O’Donohue said. “It is within our capacity, as a democracy, to condition this bilateral cooperation on increased movement by the Turkish government towards the protection of human rights and democracy.”

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