Erdogan fights 'mission impossible' against Twitter

The Turkish prime minister cannot win against social media.
An image of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on a twitter account is pictured through a magnifying glass in this illustration picture taken in Istanbul March 21, 2014. Turkey's courts have blocked access to Twitter days before elections as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan battles a corruption scandal that has seen social media platforms awash with alleged evidence of government wrongdoing. The ban came hours after a defiant Erdogan, on the campaign trail ahead of key March 30 local elections, vowed to "wi
An image of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a Twitter account is pictured through a magnifying glass in this illustration picture taken in Istanbul, March 21, 2014. - REUTERS/Murad Sezer
TLG_3604.JPG
Cengiz Candar
@cengizcandar

Over a month ago, Al-Monitor posted my article "Erdogan takes on the Internet," dwelling on the new restrictions targeting the Internet in Turkey. President Abdullah Gul’s signing of the bill — the handiwork of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan — led to bitter disappointment inside and outside Turkey.

I recently reread that article, and these remarks caught my attention:

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more