As Facebook caves in, Turkey’s authoritarian march continues: “Specially authorized courts to be reintroduced

Türkiye 'kısmen özgür' ülkeler arasında

Zuckerberg’s free-speech rhetoric proves empty as Facebook censors Charlie …
International Business Times UK
“In comparison with Twitter and YouTube, Facebook cooperates with the Turkish authorities much better,” Yaman Akdeniz, a professor in cyberlaw at Bilgi University in Istambul, told the New York Times. “Therefore it’s not surprising that Facebook .

Facebook Caves to Turkish Government Censorship

Turkey has been a bastion of Internet censorship for so long that EFF could write a regular feature called This Week in Turkish Internet Censorship and never run out of content. Last year’s highlights included the Turkish government blockingTwitter and YouTube—bans that triggered widespread protest and were eventually lifted by order of the Constitutional Court, citing concerns over free expression. Now, less than a month into 2015, Turkish authorities are already using the threat of new bans to bully social media companies into blocking content for them.

Facebook blocks Turkish users from viewing pages deemed offensive to Prophet …
National Post
This comes on the heels of an ongoing government crackdown on critical political expression in Turkey. “There is a continuous, routine crackdown on media,” said Erkan Saka, a communications professor and new media expert at Istanbul’sBilgi University.

 

Turkish governmental control of web traffic is on the rise. Recently, the Information Technology and Communications Authority (the “ITC Authority”) updated the Authorization Regulation in the Electronic Communications Sector (“Authorization Regulation”) and the Administrative Sanctions Regulation. This is an administrative implementation of previously enacted legislation, which however introduces new obligations on telecommunications operators. Read more » about Intermediary Liability Updates from Turkey: Forcing Online Intermediaries to Create a Website Blocking-Friendly Infrastructure
Government is reviving legislation to block websites ahead of court orders

Specially authorized courts to be reintroduced
Today’s Zaman
Both changes to the law allowed the release of the former suspects in the Ergenekon coup case, as they had been in detention pending trial since the case was launched in 2008. The release of the Ergenekon suspects drew criticism from opposition parties …

Turkish Lira tumbled to a new record low, down to 2.426 against the dollar upon the expectation of a forthcoming rate cut
Anti-Syrian racism in Turkey

A wave of xenophobia is ruining the lives of Syrian refugees in Turkey where they are seen as criminals, accused of stealing jobs and responsible for anything that goes wrong. Media incitement and state inaction fuel the flames.

Turkey’s Human Right Association Diyarbakır Province Branch released an annual report on the human right violations in the southeastern Kurdish cities, saying that at least 3,840 were detained and 669 were arrested in 2014.
The European Court of Human Rights convicted to Turkey of failing to complete an effective investigation in the case of Vefa Serdar who lost his arm due to wounds inflicted during Operation Back to Life in 2000.
Facebook blocks Turkish page that ‘insults prophet Muhammad’

Social network bows to court order in Turkey to avoid possible nationwide ban in latest compliance with local legal demands
A large group of Syrian Kurds who fled the clashes in the border town of Kobane are expecting to return to their home as a senior leader of a Kurdish group on the ground thanked Turkey for its support
Erdoğan’s invitation to ceremonies marking the centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli in Çanakkale in late April was “cynical and shortsighted,” Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has said
Accusing Turkey of committing genocide is a form of execution without trial, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has indicated
Reflections on my interview with the Turkish prime minister

Why was there such a fuss? Should we never listen to what political leaders have to say in explanation of their policies?

Ahmet Davutoglu in December, 2014. Demotix/Konstantinos Tsakalidis. All rights reserved.This is a follow-up to an interview Richard Falk conducted with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu on September 28 2014. Here is openDemocracy editor Rosemary Bechler’s response to the interview and ensuing discussion, also published today.


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