With a vote of 397 to 0, the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, June 6 unanimously condemned Turkey, sharply criticizing the brutal May 16 Erdogan-ordered attack against peaceful protesters in Washington DC, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“With today's vote, Congress started rolling back Ankara's occupation of Washington, DC,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “After far too many years of appeasing Ankara - turning a blind eye to its genocidal horrors, abuses at home, and aggression abroad - the United States, starting with the House of Representatives - today turned an important corner, challenging Turkey's violence and confronting its increasingly anti-American conduct.”

H.Res.354 was spearheaded by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and received the public backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) prior to the vote.

Chairman Royce led House Floor discussion of the measure, noting, “the violent attacks by officers assigned to Turkish President Erdogan's security detail against peaceful protesters back on May 16 were designed to do one thing: they were designed to silence those protesters' criticism of the Turkish government. And that is why it is so important that we speak out. We must speak loudly and clearly that we will protect our citizens and their fundamental rights to free speech and to assembly.”