Aykan Erdemir is a former member of the Turkish parliament and senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). He serves on the Anti-Defamation League’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities and the steering committee of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB). @aykan_erdemir
The conquest mentality that has shaped the Turkish government’s Hagia Sophia policy and rhetoric not only puts the sacred heritage of Turkey’s religious minorities at risk, but also threatens their lives.
Aykan Erdemir & Tugba Tanyeri-ErdemirJuly 24, 2020
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2020 Annual Report and recommended the US government include Turkey on the State Department’s “Special Watch List” for “engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.”
Tugba Tanyeri-Erdemir & Aykan ErdemirMay 12, 2020
What on the surface seems simply an esoteric argument over ecclesiastical jurisdiction is anything but. At the heart of the schism lie the ideological underpinnings for Putin’s new nationalism, and its violent manifestations in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.
Aykan Erdemir & John LechnerOctober 31, 2018
Although Turkish human rights abuses may seem like a secondary concern for the US in light of Turkish threats against US partners in Syria and Turkey’s deepening relationship with Russia and Iran, these issues cannot be separated.
Aykan ErdemirMay 3, 2018
