| Author (Person) | Rettman, Andrew |
|---|---|
| Series Title | EUObserver |
| Series Details | 21.03.14 |
| Publication Date | 21/03/2014 |
| Content Type | News |
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On the 21 March 2014, Turkey restricted access to Twitter just hours after Prime Minister Erdogan threatened to 'wipe out' the social network. Links to leaked government recordings and documents had been posted to the site. On the 20 March 2014, the EU Commissioner on digital affairs, Neelie Kroes, had heavily criticised the Turkish threat to ban access to the social network. Turkish President Abdullah Gül publically expressed his disagreement with the access restriction of social media websites on the 21 March 2014. 'A total shutdown of social media platforms cannot be approved', Gül tweeted via his own account. On the 23 March 2014 Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek defended his government's ban on Twitter, accusing the website of failing to comply with court orders. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was said to have been angry that people had used the website to spread allegations of corruption about members of his inner circle. Turkey was set to hold municipal elections on the 30 March 2014. In an election rally on the 23 March 2014 Prime Minister Erdoğan escalated his action against the 'double standards' of Twitter, while also defiantly warning Facebook and YouTube to 'obey Turkish laws'. An administrative court in Ankara issued a temporary injunction on the 26 March 2014 ordering Turkey's telecommunications authority (TIB) to restore access to Twitter until it could deliver a full verdict on the ban. On the 2 April 2014, Turkey's constitutional court outlawed the government's attempted ban on social media website Twitter, saying it violated freedom of expression and individual rights. |
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| Source Link | http://euobserver.com/foreign/123564 |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Turkey |
