David Casa condemns ‘unacceptable’ Turkey twitter ban

MEP David Casa has condemned Turkey’s twitter ban, dubbing the Turkey government’s latest move as “unacceptable” and of “deteriorating democratic values.”

Turkey has restricted access to Twitter, hours after the prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, threatened to shut down the social media platform after users posted voice recordings and documents purportedly showing evidence of corruption among Erdogan's inner circle.

Users reported on Friday that they were forwarded from twitter.com a statement from Turkey's telecoms regulator, TIB, which cited four court orders as the basis for blocking the site, while the state-run Anatolia news agency said authorities "technically blocked access to Twitter" because the service had ignored the orders to remove some links deemed illegal.

Casa, who has been increasingly critical of the country’s developments, has heavily condemned the Turkey government’s latest move, and dubbed the blocking of social media as “unacceptable.”

“I am increasingly concerned over the continuing deterioration of democratic values in Turkey. In a functioning democracy, where rule of law prevails, citizens should be free to express themselves both on and offline.”

“Recent developments in Turkey continue to demonstrate that Turkey is regressing rather than making progress,” explained MEP David Casa, member of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee.

In addition to Turkey’s decision to restrict access to Twitter, prime minister Erdogan has also promised to “wipe out” Twitter services, which he said has helped his political enemies conduct a smear campaign against him.

Leaked recordings shared and linked on Twitter include one in which Erdogan allegedly instructs his son to dispose of large amounts of cash from a residence amid a police corruption probe. Erdogan insists the recordings are fabricated "vile fakes" and part of a plot to discredit the government ahead of the March 30 elections.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s lawyers’ association has asked a court to overturn the country’s ban on Twitter while the main opposition party also said it would seek a cancellation of the ban.