Sense of Congress on press freedom

It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the Government of Turkey must take steps to significantly improve the dire climate for journalists and those supporting the journalism profession, including— (A) ending the enforcement of draconian laws and regulations that restrict freedom of expression; and (B) unconditionally releasing all journalists and media workers who have been imprisoned for fulfilling their professional responsibilities; (2) the Department of State should provide assistance and warnings of impending politically motivated detention or harm to journalists and media workers in danger in Turkey, regardless of citizenship status, including journalists working for Kurdish media organizations; (3) United States Government officials should prioritize demands to release unfairly detained journalists and media workers in their communications with Turkish officials; and (4) press freedom and the freedom of expression are fundamental human rights and should be upheld and protected in Turkey and everywhere where those rights are under threat.