Wednesday, August 30 2017 11:35

ArmInfo.A grand jury in the U.S. capital issued indictments against 19 people, including 15 members of Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan's security detail,  for their brutal May 16th attack against peaceful protesters gathered in front of the Turkish Ambassador's residence in Washington, DC,reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

"Today's indictments are an important step toward securing justice  for the vicious, ethnically motivated hate crimes committed against  U.S. citizens, carried out during President Erdogan's visit to the  nation's capital in May," said ANCA Communications Director Elizabeth  Chouldjian. "For far too long, the U.S. has succumbed to Erdogan's  intimidation tactics, remaining complicit in Turkey's denial of the  Armenian genocide; refusing to clearly condemn the growing repression  against the Kurdish community; and turning a blind eye to the  crackdown on free speech within their own borders.  Now is the time  to demand the immediate extradition of President Erdogan's security  detail, and for the Republic of Turkey to pay reparations to the  victims of these heinous crimes.  Erdogan's failure to take these  concrete steps in the furtherance of rule of law and justice, must  result in the immediate expulsion of Turkey's Ambassador to the U.S.  and any additional sanctions available."

All 19 defendants were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit a  crime of violence, with a bias crime enhancement - charges of hate  crimes - which carry a maximum 15 years prison sentence. Many were  indicted on additional charges.

Sixteen of the defendants were already charged on June 13th by the  Metropolitan Police Department, two of whom have been arrested and  will be facing initial court hearings on September 7th.  The rest of  the defendants are still at large.  The three new individuals  indicted today were all part of President Erdogan's security detail.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian was videotaping live at the  scene of the May 16th attack, which took place in front of the  Turkish Ambassador's residence where President Erdogan was scheduled  to have a closed-door meeting with think tank leaders.  Hamparian's  video showed pro-Erdogan forces crossing a police line and beating  peaceful protesters - elderly men and several women - who were on the  ground bleeding during most of the attack.

Hamparian testified before a May 25th Foreign Affairs Subcommittee  hearing on this matter. Joining him at the hearing were Ms. Lusik  Usoyan, Founder and President of the Ezidi Relief Fund; Mr. Murat  Yusa, a local businessman and protest organizer; and Ms.  Ruth  Wedgwood, Edward B. Burling Professor of International Law and  Diplomacy, at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced  International Studies. Usoyan and Yusa were victims of the brutal  assault on May 16th by President Erdogan's bodyguards.

On June 6th, with a vote of 397 to 0, the U.S. House of  Representatives unanimously condemned Turkey in response to the  attacks, taking a powerful stand against Ankara's attempts to export  its violence and intolerance to America's shores. H.Res.354,  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), has  received the public backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI). On  July 14th, the U.S. House also unanimously adopted an amendment to  the National Defense Authorization Bill, championed by Armenian  Caucus Co-Chairman David Trott (R-MI), raising objections to a  proposed U.S. sale of handguns for use by the very Erdogan security  detail involved in the May 16th attack.

On July 19th, senior members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs  Committee Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Ted Poe (R-TX), Tom Lantos  Human Rights Commission Co- Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA), and  Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and John Sarbanes (D-MD) condemned  Turkish President Erdogan's violent actions - both in Turkey and the  U.S. - during "A Stand for Free Speech" held at the site of the May  16th attacks.  The press conference and rally was organized by the  ANCA, in coordination with the Sheridan Circle May 16 Initiative  (including many victims of the beatings), and a host of Kurdish,  Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and Christian groups including the  American Kurdish Association (AKA), In Defense of Christians,  American Hellenic Council, Armenian Legal Center for Justice and  Human Rights, A Demand for Action, Hellenic American Leadership  Council, AHEPA, and the Armenian Youth Federatio.