Enes Kanter Freedom rips Biden's silence on Turkey bounty: 'Picked a dictator's side over a US citizen'
Former NBA star is on Turkey's '2023 most-wanted terrorists' list
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former NBA center and internationally-recognized human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom ripped President Biden's silence Tuesday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government placed a $500,000 bounty on his head, claiming Biden is choosing dictators over U.S. citizens.
"It's unacceptable," he said of Biden's refusal to take action. "I am a U.S. citizen, and I've been getting death threats, and I had a bounty on my head on U.S. soil, and I want my president to actually go out there and do something."
Kanter Freedom told "Fox & Friends First" anchors Ashley Strohmier and Todd Piro that he wants to see Biden take "concrete actions" to push back against the dictatorial regime in Turkey.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ENES KANTER FREEDOM REVEALS TURKISH GOVERNMENT PUT $550K BOUNTY ON HIS HEAD, MAY SUE NBA
American basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom speaks during an interview with AFP at the United Nations Office in Geneva on April 5, 2022. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
"Enough is enough," he said. "Erdogan has been abusing not only my life, but so many innocent people's lives. You look at Turkey… Turkey is the number one country in the world with the number of journalists in jail. There are 17,000 innocent women and almost 1,000 kids and babies growing up in Turkish jails."
He said he would like to see Biden speak out against Turkey's human rights violations and "put sanctions on individuals," adding that, because Turkey is an ally, the U.S. remains reluctant to take action.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kanter Freedom called out Biden's push to even send F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, despite the country's close ties to Russia.
ENES KANTER FREEDOM CALLS OUT NBA FOR COZYING UP TO CCP AMID HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES: ‘SHAME ON YOU'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a welcoming ceremony for his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, May 16, 2022.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
"We talk about this being the freest country in the world, and we talk about how President Biden cares about human rights all around the world, but when I became a citizen… I did not think that President Biden, or [any] president of this country is going to pick a dictator's side over a U.S. citizen," he said. "That is breaking my heart."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}More than 40 Republican lawmakers have since voiced outrage about the bounty, signing a letter to demand that Biden take "concrete action" to push back against the Turkish government.
ENES KANTER FREEDOM SPEAKS OUT ON $500,000 BOUNTY FROM TURKISH GOVERNMENT
A man walks by a giant Turkish flag in Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, March 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Ali Unal)
"It seems clear that Mr. Kanter Freedom is being targeted by Turkey for exercising his fundamental rights in expressing political opinions, which are protected by the U.S. Constitution," the letter read.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kanter Freedom found out about the bounty earlier this month, according to The New York Post, and has been placed on Turkey's 2023 most-wanted terrorists list for being outspoken against the country's human rights abuses.
Kanter Freedom revealed he also plans to sue the NBA, which he claimed "blackballed" him for his outspoken opposition to China.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.