A resolution, urging Turkey to immediately “lift restrictions on freedom of expression” and respect universal human rights, was introduced in the US House of Representatives, Asbarez writes.

The proposed resolution is sponsored by Rep. Alan Grayson, who is backed by 30 members of the House of Representatives. According to Congressional sources, the resolution will be debated in the Committee on Foreign Affairs on June 2. According to Asbarez, it is unlikely that the resolution will be approved by the House before a key parliamentary election in Turkey slated for June 7, but it will join a chorus of international rights groups and Western governments expressing deep concern over Turkey’s increasingly intolerant stance toward critics.

The bill recalls that prominent human rights monitors and the US government have expressed concern about the erosion of freedom of expression under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) he founded.

The resolution notes that “respect for universal human rights, especially freedom of expression, is essential to maintain a democratic, open society” and urges the Turkish government to fully respect universal human rights consistent with Ankara’s Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) commitments.

The resolution further highlights that the Turkish government “has increasingly conducted widespread intimidation and manipulation of media, private companies and other civil society actors through a number of means, including active interference in their operations and regulatory action to compel government-friendly outcomes.”

In February 90 members of the US House of Representatives addressed a letter to the Secretary of State John Kerry, urging him to advocate more actively for the freedom of mass media in Turkey.