BBC News reports that Erdogan will comply with a ruling from the Constitutional Court that held the Twitter ban, imposed on March 21, was an unconstitutional infringement on freedom of expression and individual rights. However, Erdogan made no secret of his displeasure with the ruling, saying that he did not find it “right and patriotic” that the court overlooked what he called Twitter’s disregard of Turkish “national and moral values.” The ban had been ridiculed both inside and outside of Turkey, and even President Abdullah Gul denounced it.
Erdogan had vowed to “wipe out” Twitter after recordings alleging rampant corruption in his government and family leaked out and Turks took to Twitter to share them. He claims the recordings were false and selectively edited, and issued the ban after Twitter refused to delete them. He has also turned his government’s ire on YouTube, ordering it blocked after video surfaced that purported to suggest top officials were discussing how to fake an al-Qaeda attack on Turkish territory in order to justify an invasion of Syria. Another court had ordered the YouTube ban lifted as well, with the exception of 15 videos; it is not clear when the government will comply with this ruling.
Edited/Published by: SB
