 In 1995, she expressed doubts about Prime Minister Tansu Çiller’s ability to bring about human rights reforms as a condition for a European Union–Turkey Customs Union.In June 2013, Roth was at the surroundings of the Taksim Square when the police intervened to evacuate Gezi Park and was among those affected by the tear gas fired by security officers.Following the victory of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2014 presidential election, she criticized the “dramatic erosion of the democratic system in Turkey.”

In May 2017, Roth canceled a visit of a parliamentary delegation to Turkey where participants had planned to talk to opposition lawmakers, governors and rights groups about that year's constitutional referendum, saying Ankara had refused to give them a security detail.