“Given that Erdogan himself has suffered from anti-democratic party closures throughout his political career, it may still prove too politically costly for him to pursue the closure of the HDP.”

“The government is doing to [opposition lawmaker Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu] what it has done to all prominent human rights defenders in Turkey: Using a politicized judiciary to brand him as a terrorist.”

“For a true reset to happen, the Biden administration needs to see more of a democratization process … that can come in the form of major judicial reforms or by the release of some of the most contentious political figures.”

“The broader crackdown on the HDP should be a focus of the Biden administration, which seems…to really understand how Erdogan’s authoritarianism at home impacts other things, like his foreign policy.”

“[The Biden administration] seems to very much see Erdogan’s domestic repression and growing foreign policy divergences with NATO and the U.S. as interlinked… [T]hey are going to be keeping a very close eye on what happens to Kaftancioglu.”