US Congress members call on Turkey to restore access to social media
2 April 2014, Wednesday /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
In a resolution introduced in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, four members of Congress have stressed the critical role of Internet freedom in promoting democracy and called on the Turkish government to lift the recent restrictions on social media.
Representative Anna G. Eshoo, ranking member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee and three key members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Reps. Tom Marino, Joe Kennedy III and Bill Keating, stressed the importance of an independent, unfettered media and freedom of expression in the resolution.
The Turkish government blocked access to popular video sharing platform YouTube last week, hours after a leaked voice recording allegedly featuring the voices of Turkey's foreign minister, intelligence chief and a top army general discussing a possible intervention in neighboring war-torn Syria was uploaded onto the site. The ban came a week after Twitter was blocked.
The representatives mentioned that Twitter is blocked only by China, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Turkey and YouTube by China, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, and underlined that technology and social media play a critical role in providing access to information and supporting accountability.
The four representatives expressed their views about the resolution in a press release on Tuesday. Eshoo said that Twitter and YouTube have enhanced freedom of expression and freedom of the press and noted that the resolution shows that the representatives stand united against actions that restrict Internet freedom in Turkey and around the world.
Marino emphasized that the resolution will send a strong message to Turkey, urging the country to protect its citizens' rights to express themselves, assemble peacefully and allow a free and fair press.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu defended the country's move to block access to YouTube, citing national security concerns. However, stressing that social media outlets play a critical role in providing millions of ordinary citizens with access to the political process, Kennedy said that Turkey's restrictions on basic freedoms are a threat to democracy.
Keating said the Turkish government needs to exert more effort to show the strength of its democratic institutions and noted that reversing the decision to ban social media would be a positive step to restore the trust of the Turkish population and the international business community. “Attempts by Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan or other Turkish government officials to diminish rule of law or quell perceived challenges to their authority by banning social media is simply unacceptable,” Keating added.
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut and chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations' Subcommittee on European Affairs, and Republican Senator from Wisconsin Ron Johnson, the ranking member on the subcommittee, introduced a resolution condemning the Turkish government for blocking social media sites like Twitter and YouTube, and restricting the free expression of Turkish citizens on March 27.
Murphy drew attention to Turkey's ambition of European Union membership, saying that Turkey needs to respect its citizens' right to exercise basic democratic freedoms if it wishes to be part of the union. “The Turkish shutdown of Twitter and YouTube for political purposes shows the danger of foreign governments gaining control over this incredible forum for liberty,” Johnson said.
Another criticism was raised with by 34 members of the House in a letter to US President Barack Obama on March 28. They expressed their concerns over recent anti-democratic moves by Erdoğan's government, such as blocking social media in the country and urged the White House to demand that Turkey promote democratic values and protect the ability of its citizens to exercise all of the freedoms that serve as the foundation of democratic societies.
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