On the eve of Turkey’s pivotal presidential election, Twitter has announced on Saturday that it is restricting access to certain accounts in Turkey following a request from the Turkish government.
Despite criticism of the censorship, Twitter CEO Elon Musk defended the decision, arguing that it was a necessary measure to prevent the platform from limiting bandwidth to all internet users in Turkey. It was a choice between “having Twitter throttled in its entirety or limiting access to some tweets,” Musk said, adding that they would post the details of the Turkish government’s request.
The time of the restrictions raised concerns that the aim of the move might be to impact the election’s outcome. Polls show that the opposition’s joint candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu could end President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 21-year reign in Turkey’s critical elections, with open support from the pro-Kurdish voting bloc. This has led voters to fear that he may resort to illegal tactics to secure a victory.
The account of Kurdish businessman Muhammed Yakut, who previously shared some allegations regarding corruption and criminal activities of the Turkish government is among the accounts Twitter has blocked. Yakut recently promised to reveal details about the true nature of the failed coup attempt in 2016, claiming that the coup was staged, and that Erdoğan and members of his government knew about it in advance.
The Turkish government has been accused of clamping down on free speech and censorship in the run-up to the election. According to Reporters Without Borders, 90 percent of the national media in Turkey is owned by pro-government businessmen.
This is not the first time that social media platforms have been targeted by the Turkish government. It frequently blocks access to popular social media networks at times of political unrest, like in the aftermath of the devastating February earthquakes.
