The Lantos Foundation calls on the United States and the greater international community to stand with the brave Kurdish people of Afrin as they suffer under a brutal and unwarranted attack from President Erdogan of Turkey. The Kurds are brave allies who stood shoulder to shoulder with us in the fight against ISIS, and their major crime in Erdogan’s eyes is simply their existence as a progressive society that lies too close to Turkey’s border for his liking. Civilized nations cannot stand idly by as Turkey and Russia conspire to destroy the homes and lives of Syrian Kurds who want nothing more than to live freely and peacefully. These unprovoked attacks are clear violations of human rights, democratic values, and international norms. We firmly stand in solidarity with our Kurdish allies.