The unfounded allegations about our country in the 2021 Human Rights Report published by the U.S. Department of State on 12 April 2022 are unfortunate and we reject them totally.

We regret that the U.S. has not yet comprehended our fight against terrorism in all its forms, PKK/YPG, FETO, DAESH and DHKP-C in particular.

The lies of FETO, the perpetrator of the 15 July heinous coup attempt, are given wide coverage in the report. This demonstrates that the U.S. continues to be instrumental in the propaganda of this terrorist organization which it turns a blind eye on, despite all concrete evidence we have provided.

It is also unacceptable that the report includes allegations which ignore the fact that the PKK is a terrorist organization and extend support to the claims of terror-affiliated circles.

As we emphasized within the contexts of the previous reports, our country’s determination to protect and promote human rights remains firm. Our cooperation with international human rights mechanisms, 2019 Judicial Reform Strategy and 2021 Human Rights Action Plan are amongst the concrete manifestations of this resolve.

We invite the U.S. to focus on its own record in the field of human rights and put an end to its partnership with the extensions of terrorist groups under the guise of counter-terrorism.

Türkiye will continue with its work on protecting and promoting the rights of its citizens together with those of millions of persons it is hosting.