Ilhan Omar votes against Turkey sanctions bill
The US House passed the resolution on Tuesday officially recognising the Armenian genocide, a symbolic but unprecedented move that angered Turkey amid already heightened tensions with Washington.
Democratic representative Omar was one of two Democrats to vote “present” on the resolution which passed by a vote of 405 to 11.
Following the vote, Omar released a statement saying: “I also believe accountability for human rights violations – especially ethnic cleansing and genocide – is paramount. But accountability and recognition of genocide should not be used as cudgel in a political fight.”
“A true acknowledgement of historical crimes against humanity must include both the heinous genocides of the 20th century, along with earlier mass slaughters like the transatlantic slave trade and Native American genocide, which took the lives of hundreds of millions of indigenous people in this country.”
The resolution comes at a critical and frosty time for Turkey-US relations. The measure passed alongside a bill that imposes sanctions over Ankara’s assault on Kurdish-controlled territory in northeastern Syria that was made possible by the withdrawal of American troops.
Omar also voted against this bill, saying the sanctions would “hurt civilians rather than political leaders”.
By passing these resolutions, US lawmakers have delivered a two-punch rebuke to Turkey on its national day.
Omar is one of four members of “The Squad”, a firebrand group of first-term, progressive Democratic congresswomen frequently targeted by Trump in attacks widely regarded as racist.
Responding to critics on Twitter, Omar wrote: “My issue was not with the substance of this resolution. *Of course* we should acknowledge the Genocide.”
“My issue was with the timing and context. I think we should demand accountability for human rights abuses consistently, not simply when it suits our political goals.”
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