Turkish Prime Minister announces plan to ban YouTube, Facebook

CPJ condemned the plan.

Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Erdogan, on Friday, said he was seeking for ways to ban YouTube and Facebook after local elections at the end of March.

Mr. Erdogan made the remarks in a Turkish television interview programme following the leaking of recordings of his private conversations, apparently through wiretaps.

He said “we will not let YouTube and Facebook to destroy our nation.

“We will take measures, including closure,” said Mr. Erdogan, who previously made comments against social media sites.

Local reports note that local elections on March 30 would be a test of Mr. Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party’s popularity.

It said that the leaked recordings, which had not been verified, linked Mr. Erdogan and his allies to corruption and attempt to control the media.

The most recent recording, leaked on online social media sites, shows Mr. Erdogan criticising a newspaper owner for his publication’s coverage, adding that the owner broke down in tears at the end of the call.

Mr. Erdogan’s camp had blamed the leaks on followers of U.S. Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a one-time ally, but now a foe.

According to a report, Gulen commands respect among his followers, many of whom work in state institutions.

On social media, several people remarked that at least the prime minister did not mention Twitter in his latest comments on social media.

Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, has expressed concern by Mr. Erdoğan’s threats in order to, in the premier’s words, prevent the negative impact of the Internet on society.

“We call on the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to stop censoring or threatening to censor the media in an attempt to control the free flow of information,” CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. “Social media are not a menace to society, as the prime minister has repeatedly claimed-restrictive government policies are.”

CPJ has previously raised concerns about a newly passed Internet law that allows for the blocking of websites. In addition to the restrictive Internet measures, Turkey is the world’s leading jailer of journalists, according to CPJ research.

(dpa/NAN)