Court Blocks Twitter and YouTube in Turkey After Pro-Communist Attack in Istanbul

Censorship is paralleling political turmoil in parts of the Middle East

Reuters is reporting that "a source in Turkey's telecoms industry" shares that Google Inc.'s (GOOG) video-sharing site YouTube and microblogging platfrom Twitter, Inc. (TWTR) were both blocked in Turkey on Monday, following a court decision. The crackdown comes after "individuals" complained to the court claiming that terrorists were posting political propoganda to the popular web services. The court agreed, and the services were ordered to be censored.

It's unclear how long the current censorship will last, but this isn't the first time Turkish courts have imposed such a ban. YouTube was banned for periods in 2007 and 2008 amid local unrest. Most recently in March 2014, Turkish courts temporarily ordered both Twitter and YouTube blocked to prevent the dissemination of supposed leaks ahead of Turkey's elections.

The leaked audio recordings were puportedly ofPrime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's inner circle. In the recordings officials appeared to be engaging in corrupt dealings. Erdogan's camp, however, claims the recordings were fakes generated by opposition leaders. His administration successfully petitioned the court to impose internet blockades to limit their impact.

The latest crackdown comes amid a fresh wave of violent political unrest.

Pro-communist/far left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) stormed the office of a prosecutor in Istanbul whom they allege was corrupt. When police tried to storm the facility, the prosecutor was shot. He eventually died in surgery at a local hospital. Both gunmen were also shot dead by police commandos during the raid.

The U.S. callsDHKP-C a terrorist group and there's claims that it's backed by Putin's regime in Russia. The group claimed responsibility for a 2013 suicide bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Istanbul. The DHKP-C is just one of several groups -- both pro- and anti-Erdogan that's been vying for public sentiment in the Turkish state. Earlier this year nationalist, pro-Erdogan hackers defaced a number of websites.

Source: Reuters

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Court Blocks Twitter and YouTube in Turkey After Pro-Communist Attack in Istanbul