The U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (popularly known as the Helsinki Commission) is an independent U.S. government agency established in 1976 to monitor the implementation of the human rights standards listed in the Final Act of the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation held in 1975 (subsequently the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE]) and its later initiatives. Since Turkey is a member of the OSCE, the Helsinki Commission also has served as a platform for public and private criticism of Turkey's Kurdish policy by sponsoring hearings and distributing information.
Historical Dictionary of the Kurds. Michael M. Gunter.