[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY, AND JUSTICE FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS IN TURKEY

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, we honored the men 
and women of the United States military, the veterans that we so much 
admire and respect.
  I had the privilege of attending a number of veterans' 
commemorations, and that is why I intend to reintroduce my Battle Buddy 
bill, called the New Battle Buddy bill, to ensure that those leaving 
the Armed Forces and those already veterans have a buddy to assist them 
in times of crisis.
  They are freedom loving, and we are reminded of the words of 
President John F. Kennedy who said: The price of freedom is high, but 
Americans are willing to pay the price.
  That is why I also congratulate freedom-loving Turkish Americans and 
express my sadness and disappointment that the President of Turkey now 
comes to the United States, where, in his own country, freedom is not 
real. The locking up of political opposition, journalists and others, 
the question is: Why would he be extended an invitation for a state 
visit?
  It is important for the United States to stand for her values of 
freedom, democracy, and justice. It is time to free the political 
prisoners in Turkey and, as well, to respond to the devastation of the 
Kurds.

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