Israel Matzav

NATO member, US ally, blocks all media

US President Hussein Obama's Best Friend Forever, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has ordered all websites showing the new Charlie Hebdo cover blocked. He has also blocked all media from reporting on allegations that Turkey armed Syrian Islamist rebels last year. This is from the first link.

A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered the telecommunications authority to ban access to websites showing Charlie Hebdo's front cover with the image of the Prophet Muhammad, a state-run news agency said.

The Anadolu Agency said the ban, which would block access to the websites in Turkey, was ordered by a court in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, according to the Dogan news agency. The decision came from the court, because a lawyer in Diyarbakir filed a petition saying the websites were a danger to "public order."

And from the second link.

Turkey on Wednesday imposed an all-out media blackout, including on Facebook and Twitter, prohibiting publication of reports claiming Turkish intelligence services delivered arms to Syrian Islamist rebels last year.

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) delivered a court ruling to Turkish newspapers, television, websites and social media networks, banning them from reporting the arms allegations.

...

The earlier interdiction on reporting the arms allegations arose from events in January last year, when Turkish police stopped and seized seven trucks near the Syrian border that were suspected of smuggling weapons into Syria. The move came as the government in Ankara denied suspicions it was aiding rebel forces.

That ban was imposed after a Twitter account with handle @LazepeM leaked a series of documents indicating that the seized trucks were actually National Intelligence Agency (MIT) vehicles delivering weapons to Syrian Islamist rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.

Hurriyet newspaper reported that a Turkish court ordered the closure of all websites, including social media networks Facebook and Twitter, that don't remove information or allegations linked to the documents.

"There are several court decisions against the websites that published the signed documents," a Turkish official was quoted as saying by Hurriyet.

Twitter, which was previously blocked by the Turkish government, immediately removed the documents and suspended the account that published them.

But by that time the information had already begun circulating on many other websites, as well as some Facebook accounts.

The contents of the vehicles have never been revealed to the public, but MIT claimed they were carrying humanitarian aid to war-stricken Syrians.

The security officials who stopped the vehicles are now standing trial for 'spying.' And you thought that if you voted for Mitt Romney you'd see the United States allied with fascist countries... and you were right.

Labels: freedom of the press, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, Turkish repression

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:34 PM