News Scan – March 28th: Turkey blocks YouTube after security meeting leaked
Ankara on alert after spying on security meeting leaked
The Turkish government was seriously rocked after an illegal recording of a key high-level security meeting on Syria was leaked through YouTube on March 27, and vowed to impose the “heaviest penalty” on the perpetrators of such “treachery.”
“These gangs of treachery are the enemies of our state and people. The perpetrators of this attack targeting the security of our state and people will be found out in the shortest time and will be handed over to justice to be given the heaviest penalty. This treacherous attack targeting the Republic of Turkey will be disrupted,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement late March 27.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also strongly criticized the leakage in an election campaign in Diyarbakır on Thursday, describing the move as “immorality, dishonorableness, and vileness.” Erdoğan blamed the Fethullah Gülen community, or “Hizmet” movement, for the leak and reiterated his government’s commitment to “walk into their den.” Foregin Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu described the move as open declaration of war against the state and its people, in a statement late Thursday.
An Ankara prosecutor responsible for prosecuting crimes committed against the constitutional order immediately launched an investigation on spying charges into the leak. The prosecution will be carried out by Prosecutor Fethi Şimşek, former head of the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB).
HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
Turkey blocks YouTube after security meeting leaked
YouTube was blocked in Turkey after a voice-recording of an alleged security meeting on Syria was leaked…
Turkey blocked YouTube on Thursday afternoon after an alleged voice-recording of government security meeting was leaked on the video sharing site.
The leak was commented on as “A treacherous attack against Turkey,” in a press statement of Turkey’s Foreign Ministry.
The Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) declined after the YouTube block, and the dollar gained value against the lira.
DHA
Turkish gov’t bans YouTube, steps up pressure on media ahead of elections
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, which has been the subject of graft allegations, on Thursday banned access to YouTube shortly after banning Twitter, canceling the nationwide broadcasting license of one station and issuing a record number of penalties to another.
The Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) on Thursday afternoon blocked access to popular video sharing platform YouTube hours after a leaked voice recording allegedly featuring the voices of Turkey’s foreign minister, intelligence chief and a top army general discussing the developments in neighboring war-torn Syria was uploaded onto the site.
The ban comes a week after Twitter was blocked by the TİB in a move widely seen as a response to leaked voice recordings posted on the micro-blogging site that seem to implicate Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his close family members and some members of his government in large-scale corruption. However, Twitter’s block might be lifted soon, according to Deputy Prime Minister Emrullah İşler.
TODAYS ZAMAN
US senators introduce resolution condemning Turkey for Twitter, YouTube ban
U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Ron Johnson have introduced a resolution condemning the Turkish government for blocking the social media sites Twitter and YouTube, and restricting freedom of expression.
“The touchstone of a modern and legitimate democracy is the freedom of expression enjoyed by its people. In 2014, a fundamental expression of that freedom is a people’s access to social media sites that allow them to share information and contribute to a conversation about the world around them,” said Murphy, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs.
“By allowing sites like Twitter and YouTube to remain blocked, Prime Minister Erdoğan is defying an order from his very own courts. If the Turkish government wishes to move toward eventual integration into the European Union, they should reverse course and respect the right of the Turkish people to exercise their basic democratic freedoms,” he added.
HURRIYET DAILY NEWS
Ankara on alert after spying on security meeting leaked
The Turkish government was seriously rocked after an illegal recording of a key high-level security meeting on Syria was leaked through YouTube on March 27, and vowed to impose the “heaviest penalty” on the perpetrators of such “treachery.”
“These gangs of treachery are the enemies of our state and people. The perpetrators of this attack targeting the security of our state and people will be found out in the shortest time and will be handed over to justice to be given the heaviest penalty. This treacherous attack targeting the Republic of Turkey will be disrupted,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement late March 27.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also strongly criticized the leakage in an election campaign in Diyarbakır on Thursday, describing the move as “immorality, dishonorableness, and vileness.” Erdoğan blamed the Fethullah Gülen community, or “Hizmet” movement, for the leak and reiterated his government’s commitment to “walk into their den.” Foregin Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu described the move as open declaration of war against the state and its people, in a statement late Thursday.
An Ankara prosecutor responsible for prosecuting crimes committed against the constitutional order immediately launched an investigation on spying charges into the leak. The prosecution will be carried out by Prosecutor Fethi Şimşek, former head of the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB).
TODAYS ZAMAN
AK Party fabricating tapes of resigned deputies, claims ex-minister Şahin
Former Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin said he has heard rumors that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is engaged in efforts to produce fake sex tapes that implicate a number of deputies who recently parted ways with the ruling party.
“I have heard that efforts are ongoing at the Prime Ministry and the [AK] party headquarters to dub and montage [tapes]. They [rumors] may be true or false, but I have heard about efforts to fabricate tapes involving resigned deputies,” the ex-minister said on Wednesday on a Bugün TV program.
Şahin resigned from the AK Party in late December of last year following the revelation of a corruption and bribery investigation that has led to allegations against some AK Party government members as well as the prime minister and his family members. When resigning, Şahin stated that the AK Party has been under the control of a “narrow oligarchic group” dictating recent party policies that he viewed as contradictory to national interests. He currently serves as an independent deputy. Eight deputies resigned from the ruling party after claims of corruption emerged.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said publicly that Şahin chose to resign after the AK Party refused to nominate him as a candidate in the approaching municipal elections. “He has [been recorded in] blackmail [sex] tapes, too,” Erdoğan claimed.
TODAYS ZAMAN
Goldman Sachs to open an office in Turkey
US-based Goldman Sachs, the world’s leading investment bank, has applied to the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) to open a liaison office in Turkey. According to Mehmet Simsek, Turkey’s Minister of Finance, Goldman Sachs has pushed the button to invest in Turkey and will open its 7th European office in Turkey.
Simsek stated that the number of companies with foreign capital in Turkey soared to 37,000 in 2014, up from 3,200 in 2002, and added, “This number will reach 150,000 over the next 15-20 years. Turkey is a country with huge potential. The country has come a long way in the past ten years in the Global Competitiveness and Ease of Doing Business indices.
INVEST.GOV.TR
28.03.2014
This is a news-scan from major Turkish papers and internet sites. However, we do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
