If you see or read any sort of news at least once a week, no doubt you’ve heard about human rights violations all over the world. Massacres, genocides, oppression. They happen, and we hear about them. But what about when democratic rights are infringed upon?

People go to jail for supporting equal rights movements (LGBT rights, women’s rights etc.). They get arrested for writing articles that speak against their government. People “disappear” after leading lifelong fights for their respective causes. These issues may not make for flashy headlines like a massacre or widespread corruption, but they’re just as important. Especially when the countries committing the violations are our allies.

If any stories like the ones listed above are seen on the news, rarely are they about a country within the western sphere of influence. But if they are, there are two likely suspects; Saudi Arabia or Turkey. Both are close allies of the United States, and both have been known to do some pretty bad things.

Let’s start with the more obvious one that you’ve probably heard a little about. Saudi Arabia. One of America’s closest allies in the Middle East, probably second behind Israel. They’re tied for 1^st in percentage of global oil production at 13 percent. They are by far the biggest country in the Middle East, and propping them up certainly assists with the stability in the region. But does that mean we can’t speak out when they don’t meet our expectations? It shouldn’t.

First, the easiest policy to harp on. Women’s rights. In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to obtain a passport, get married, travel, or get a higher education without the approval of a male guardian. They can’t visit a male doctor without their male guardian being present, and can only expose sensitive body parts in cases of absolute medical emergency. Oh and by the way, women aren’t allowed to drive. Like, at all. Ever.

Last April, Saudi Arabia arrested and convicted a man to 15 years in prison and a fine of $53,000 US dollars for assisting international media with coverage of riots in 2011. Human Rights Watch says Saudi Arabia cites crimes like “contact with foreign news organizations to exaggerate the news,” “circulating his phone number to news agencies to allow them to call him,” and finally “breaking allegiance to the ruler.”

That’s some pretty frightening stuff. He isn’t allowed to give out his phone number? Breaking allegiance with the ruler? That sounds like something straight out of North Korea. But I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. With no actual penal code, Saudi Arabia gives judges absolute power under Sharia Law to determine crimes and punishments. That doesn’t sound like the actions of a country the US should be openly supporting.

And as far as a State Department response to any of this, the relationship is “shaky.”

As for Turkey, the story is fairly similar. We rely on Turkey for many of the same things as Saudi Arabia. Sharing borders with Iran, Iraq, and Syria, they are a major US ally for counter-terrorism and stability efforts within the region. They’re a member of NATO – though I think “North Atlantic” is just a recommendation for the alliance at this point – and are a member of the European Union’s common market. They’ve been applying for EU membership since 1987, and have yet to succeed, but the common market gives them access to European markets without the restrictions placed on other nations. Turkey is a major player and a vital partner to US objectives in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. But again, does that mean we should ignore it when they perform unethical actions?

In early March, a Turkish court ordered a takeover of a media group known to be critical of the government. They cited the takeover as a “judicial move to eliminate a parallel state.” Restrictions on the press. That sounds comforting. But wait, it gets worse.

In 2015, the oldest newspaper in Turkey, Cumhuriyet, was awarded the Freedom of Press Prize by Reporters Without Borders for making a stand against mounting government pressure. Shortly following the award, the paper’s editor , and a paper representative were arrested and are now facing life prison sentences. Human Rights Watch believes the arrests “demonstrate the huge restrictions on the media and reporters in Turkey, as well as the President and government’s determination to suppress all critical reporting.”

The journalists’ trial started late last month. Their charges include revealing state secrets for the purpose of espionage, attempting to overthrow the government, and aiding a terrorist organization. The court’s main piece of evidence is an investigative report written by the paper about supposed arms shipments being carried by truck through Turkey into Syria.

Four prosecutors who were investigating the trucks were arrested and tried on charges of obtaining and revealing information pertaining to state security, attempting to overthrow the government, and partial or total prevention of government duties. They were investigating the story, digging into the government, and they got arrested.

All trials mentioned above are still ongoing.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are just two of the easiest cases. The cynic in me thinks there are numerous more allies that do similar things, we just don’t get the media coverage. We barely get coverage of Saudi Arabia and Turkey and of the things written above, I only remember seeing Cumhuriyet on the news.

Now, this is where I could go all conspiracy theory on you guys about how the Saudi’s are protected because we need their oil, and we need Turkey as a buffer between the Middle East and Europe, so the government orders the media to not cover these things and blah blah blah. But I’m not going to do that because I don’t think it’s true.

I will admit that I think Saudi oil production is a major player, but outside of that I think it just happens. The media lets stories like this fall to the wayside because they aren’t human interest stories. No one got horrifically killed, no one won the lottery, and puppies aren’t being taught to dance on two feet. So if their viewers don’t care, then neither do they.

But that’s where I come in. The government is willing to overlook ally disappointments, the media brushes by them, but we shouldn’t.

If we prove to the media and government that we the people care about the actions of our allies, then maybe they will too.