Sánchez Urges Turkey to Protect Religious Freedom

Statement

Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) released the following statement today to announce her co-sponsorship of House Resolution 306, "Urging the Republic of Turkey to Safeguard its Christian Heritage and to Return Confiscated Church Properties":

"The freedom to worship and practice your religious faith is a right that should be protected and available to all. That is why I am proud to join fellow colleagues in calling on the Turkish government to right previous injustices and return confiscated religious sites to their rightful owners.

"These sites hold special cultural and religious significance for the groups who lost them. As a signatory to the Declaration of Human Rights to provide religious rights, I hope that Turkey will return these sites to the appropriate parties so that they can be restored and preserved for future generations."

House Resolution 306 calls on the Turkish government to return confiscated Christian churches, schools, monasteries, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites and other religious properties to their rightful owners for preservation and restoration.

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