When the rule of law isn’t: Turkey at the crossroads
By Geoffrey King/CPJ Internet Advocacy Coordinator
In less than a week, Turkish voters will cast their ballots in local elections widely seen as a test of support for embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has faced growing questions about official corruption since a high-level probe first became public in December. Although many observers believe Erdoğan will survive the current political crisis , the prime minister’s increasingly autocratic posturing has given rise to questions about his long-term political viability.
Some of the sharpest and most deserved criticism flows from Erdoğan's well-documented assaults on press freedom, including the very platforms journalists use to disseminate information. Erdoğan appears to have a particular distaste for social media, which he called "the worst menace to society" during the Gezi Park protests last summer. Earlier this month Erdoğan proclaimed, “We will not leave this nation at the mercy of YouTube and Facebook,” and threatened to block the sites. (After The Hurriyet Daily News quoted President Abdullah Gül as saying that such a move was “out of the question,” Erdoğanbacktracked on his statements.) And, as is well known, on Friday Erdoğan blocked Twitter, just hours after he promised to “wipe out” the site, adding, “I don’t care what the international community says.”