Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become increasingly oppressive as he continues to strive to revive the Ottoman Empire. He deems Europe to be a “sick man” and “collapsing.” Now Erdogan is now more emboldened than ever after he has seized his latest conquest: Hagia Sophia.
Erdogan is now tightening his grip. His Islamist party is pushing a bill “to crack down on citizen’s right to post freely on social media, forcing companies to censor or face fines and restrictions.” He also wants the identity of users unveiled.
Turkey should have been kicked out of NATO long ago. As Erdogan cracks down on whatever is left of freedom domestically and intensifies his abuse of human rights, he has long proven to be no friend of the West and of the NATO alliance.
“Turkey: Islamists Push Law to Force Social Media Companies to Hand Over Intelligence,” by Ben Kew, Breitbart, July 22, 2020:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party is promoting a legislative bill this week seeking to crack down on citizen’s right to post freely on social media, forcing companies to censor or face fines and restrictions.
Voice of America (VOA) reported on Tuesday that Erdogan’s allies in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey are currently drawing up legislation, which if passed, will force social media giants including Twitter, Facebook, and Google to appoint a legal representative in Turkey to respond to court requests demanding the removal of content or unveiling the identity of users.
Companies that fail to comply with the new legislation within a month of coming into effect will face gradually increasing fines and bandwidth reductions of up to 90 percent, according to one Turkish legislator….
“These platforms do not suit this nation,” Erdogan declared during a recent meeting with members of his Justice and Development (AKP) party. “We want to shut down, control [them] by bringing [a bill] to parliament as soon as possible.”
Erdogan demanded the legislation be fast-tracked through parliament. On Tuesday, lawmakers submitted a nine-draft bill that the general assembly will debate next week.
Freedom of the press has become a severe problem in Turkey over recent years. Following the failed coup against Erdogan in 2016, the president has used his powers to arrest, intimidate, harass, censor, or persecute those seen as a threat to his authority. As of 2019, the Erdogan regime had imprisoned more journalists than any other country in the world.
“Freedom of expression in Turkey is under sustained and increasing attack,” noted Amnesty International.” Since the failed coup attempt in July 2016, academics, journalists, and writers who criticize the government risk criminal investigation and prosecution, intimidation, harassment, and censorship.”…