U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom will hold a virtual event about religious freedom conditions in Turkey at 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM on Thursday, October 15, 2020. This virtual event is open to the public and media. The video recording will be posted on the Commission website.
This special event will highlight recent and ongoing religious freedom concerns in Turkey, including the conversion of historic former churches such as the Hagia Sophia and Chora into mosques; governmental and societal targeting of religious minorities; and the ramifications of these developments and practices for religious minorities throughout the country.
The topics of this discussion will also serve to underscore USCIRF’s 2020 Annual Report recommendation to the U.S. Department of State to include Turkey in its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe religious freedom violations.
USCIRF Commissioners Nury Turkel and James W. Carr will hold a conversation with guest panelists Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Nesi Altaras of Avlaremoz. USCIRF Director of Outreach and Policy Dwight Bashir will moderate the conversation followed by questions and answers from attendees.
Panelists
Nury Turkel – Commissioner, USCIRF
James W. Carr – Commissioner, USCIRF
Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir – Coordinator of ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities and Research Associate at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Anthropology
Nesi Altaras – Editor at Avlaremoz
Moderator
Dwight Bashir – Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
You can register here by clicking here.
