A bipartisan bill has been introduced in both chambers of the United States Congress, conditioning American military equipment programs and security assistance to Turkey on meaningful and demonstrable improvements in the country’s human rights record and judicial standards.
Bill to block US arms sales to Turkey introduced in Congress
Specifically, the legislation — titled the Turkey Human Rights Promotion Act of 2026 — was introduced in the House of Representatives by Democratic Greek-American Congresswoman Dina Titus, while a companion bill was simultaneously filed in the Senate by Democratic Senator Ed Markey.
The initiative would impose restrictions on specific forms of American security assistance to Ankara, unless the Secretary of State certifies that the Turkish government has carried out substantive, lasting, and consistent reforms.
I am proud to lead a bicameral bill with @SenMarkey to compel Turkey to adhere to democratic values, respect human rights, and release political prisoners. For nearly a decade, the Erdogan government has moved further away from those responsibilities. Turkey should not be granted…
— Dina Titus (@repdinatitus) July 31, 2026
More specifically, the bill stipulates that no funds may be obligated or spent on Turkey under Foreign Military Financing, Foreign Military Sales, or other security assistance programs unless certain conditions are met.
These conditions include demonstrated steps to reduce the number of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, as well as the release of individuals detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their fundamental rights.
The Turkish government would also be required to have curtailed the abusive application of counterterrorism laws and disinformation statutes that have been used to criminalize peaceful expression, political activity, and participation in civil organizations.
The ECHR, transnational repression, and the US national security waiver
The bill further conditions assistance on Turkey’s compliance with binding rulings issued by the European Court of Human Rights, including those concerning philanthropist and activist Osman Kavala and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş.
Ankara would additionally be required to end its systematic practice of transnational repression — meaning state-directed actions that target critics of the Turkish government or individuals exercising fundamental freedoms while living abroad.
The proposed prohibition is not absolute. The Secretary of State would retain the authority to grant a case-by-case waiver if they determine that continuing the assistance or cooperation serves a vital US national security interest.
In such instances, the Secretary would be required to notify the relevant congressional committees, justify the decision, and outline the steps the US government is taking to promote the reforms outlined in the legislation.
The bill formally establishes it as United States policy to press Turkey to uphold its democratic and international obligations.
In separate, non-binding provisions, the legislation also expresses Congress’s support for protecting press freedom and internet freedom, judicial independence, and the unimpeded practice of law in Turkey.
The bill further expresses the view that, should the Turkish government fail to take prompt and effective action, the President of the United States should consider imposing sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against Turkish officials deemed responsible for or complicit in serious human rights violations.
These violations include the politically motivated detention of journalists and other individuals, arbitrary prosecutions, and restrictions on freedom of expression.
Similarly, the legislation calls on the US government to consider imposing visa restrictions — under the policy known as the “Khashoggi Ban” — on individuals alleged to have been directly involved in serious acts of transnational repression against dissidents outside Turkey’s borders.
These restrictions could, on a case-by-case basis, be extended to the immediate family members of those targeted.
In this context, the bill envisions that the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would be called upon to strengthen their support for independent journalists, media outlets, and civil society organizations operating in Turkey.
This support would also extend to organizations that document human rights violations or provide legal and other forms of assistance to victims of politically motivated prosecutions.
Annual report to Congress
The proposal calls for the submission of an annual report to Congress over a five-year period, with the first report due within 180 days of the law’s entry into force.
The report would document, among other things, the number and legal status of political prisoners, their conditions of detention, restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, the suppression of opposition parties and politicians, and incidents of transnational repression.
It would also examine the potential use of US-origin goods, services, or technologies for surveillance, censorship, or other serious rights violations, as well as any sanctions or visa restrictions imposed by the US government.
“Turkey is a NATO ally, but that alliance comes with obligations — including a commitment to democratic norms and respect for human rights — that Turkey is not fulfilling,” Congresswoman Dina Titus stated.
The Democratic congresswoman accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government of having, in recent years, imprisoned political detainees and journalists, prosecuted lawyers, and weaponized vague counterterrorism provisions to target religious and ethnic minorities.
Criticism of the Trump administration’s policy toward Ankara
For his part, Senator Ed Markey criticized the Trump administration’s approach to Ankara, arguing that the Turkish government continues to imprison journalists, political activists, and members of minority communities.
The bill’s findings note that, in the aftermath of the 2016 coup attempt, Turkish authorities dismissed or suspended more than 60,000 police and military personnel, approximately 125,000 civil servants, and nearly one-third of the country’s entire judiciary.
Finally, the text of the bill cites an assessment by the organization Prison Insider, according to which approximately 43,000 political prisoners remain held in Turkish prisons.
