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Turkey
shuts off YouTube after 'Syria invasion plan' leak
RT,
27
March, 2014
Access
to YouTube has been cut off in Turkey after an explosive leak of
audiotapes that appeared to show ministers talking about provoking
military intervention in Syria. Other social media have already been
blocked ahead of tumultuous local elections.
The
latest leaked audio recording, which reportedly led to the ban,
appears to show top government officials discussing a potential
attack on the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the founder
of the Ottoman Empire.
The
tomb is in Syrian territory, but protected by Turkish soldiers.
On
the tape, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is heard to say
that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sees any attack as an
"opportunity" to increase Turkish presence in Syria, where
it has staunchly supported the anti-Assad rebels. Security chief
Hakan Fidan then goes one step further, and suggests staging a fake
attack to give Turkey a casus belli to intervene in the conflict.
Turkish
officials have recently vowed to protect the tomb as its "national
soil."
The
Foreign Ministry in Ankara reacted to the tape by issuing a
statement, calling the leak a “wretched attack” on national
security. It also claims the tape was “partially manipulated.”
"These
treacherous gangs are the enemies of our state and people. The
perpetrators of this attack targeting the security of our state and
people will be uncovered in the shortest time and will be handed over
to justice to be given the heaviest penalty," the ministry said.
A
source inside the office of President Abdullah Gül, who has taken a
softer line than Erdoğan over the series of government leaks, told
Reuters that access to YouTube may be restored if the sensitive
content is removed, even though the original video has been deleted.
Invoking
national security and privacy concerns has been the government’s
tactic in fighting off a stream of leaks showing top officials
engaging in unsavory or downright illegal practices.
Erdoğan
has also repeatedly claimed that most of the audio recordings are
fakes. He labeled the latest audio revelation "villainous"
during a stump speech in Diyabakir.
Twitter,
another popular source for leaks, has already been shut down in
Turkey since March 20, after a court order.
Since
then, the California-based social network and organizations have
fought in several courts to have the decision reversed, calling it
“disproportionate and illegal.”
A
court ruling in Ankara on Wednesday supported the appeal, but the
country’s regulator has a month to unblock Twitter, leading to
speculation that any such move would only take place after the
election.
The
incumbent party also enjoys the benefit of robust privacy legislation
passed last month, which makes it easy to cut off any website even
before any violation has been legally proven.
The
US has led the chorus of international condemnation, calling the
government’s moves "censorship" tantamount to “21st
century book-burning.”
OSCE
slams YouTube ban
Turkey
is deliberately ignoring the fundamental right of freedom of the
press by blocking access to social media platforms, Dunja Mijatović,
the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media stated.
“A
regulator exercising censorship by blocking is unacceptable in
democracies, and it breaches numerous OSCE and other international
standards that Turkey has committed to,” Mijatović said.
The
OSCE calls on Ankara to immediately restore access to YouTube and
Twitter.
“I
call on the authorities to preserve the free flow of information and
media freedom both online and offline, and immediately restore access
to YouTube. I also urge TIB to reinstate Twitter services without
delay following yesterday’s court decision annulling the ban on the
website,” added Mijatović.
'Erdogan banned Twitter to cover up corruption' - Turkish journalist
Watch
the full show here: http://youtu.be/lHMLaeyeN_4
Turkey has long been revered as a beacon of democracy in the Muslim world, but the corruption scandal rocking the nation has led to a clampdown by its government. And with the grip tightening on the judiciary, Internet and even Twitter, Turkey's civil society is being put to the test. Will the country live up to its democratic reputation or will it take an authoritarian turn? Oksana is joined by a senior editor at Today's Zaman, Sevgi Akarcesme, to examine these issues.
Turkey has long been revered as a beacon of democracy in the Muslim world, but the corruption scandal rocking the nation has led to a clampdown by its government. And with the grip tightening on the judiciary, Internet and even Twitter, Turkey's civil society is being put to the test. Will the country live up to its democratic reputation or will it take an authoritarian turn? Oksana is joined by a senior editor at Today's Zaman, Sevgi Akarcesme, to examine these issues.
Here
Is The YouTube "Start A False Flag War With Syria" Leaked
Recording That Erdogan Wanted Banned
UPDATE:
*TURKEY'S DAVUTOGLU SAYS LEAK IS 'DECLARATION OF WAR': TURKIYE
As we
noted here, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan had blocked Twitter access
to his nation ahead of what was rumored
to be a "spectacular" leak before this weekend's elections.
Then this morning, amid a mad scramble, he
reportedly (despite the nation's court ruling the bans illegal)
blocked YouTube access.
However, by the magic of the interwebs, we have the 'leaked' clip and
it is clear why he wanted it blocked/banned. As the rough translation
explains, it purports
to be a conversation between key Turkish military and political
leaders discussing what appears to be a false flag attack to launch
war with Syria.
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