Rights Groups Warn Turkish Govt Control of Internet Threatens Elections

The Twitter logo is seen on a smartphone held beside a Turkish flag. Photo: EPA/Karl-Josef Hildenbrand

"The Turkish government has accelerated its efforts to enforce censorship and tighten control over social media and independent online news sites ahead of this election," said Deborah Brown, senior technology researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"The vote will test whether voters in Turkey can rely on social media for independent news and to express their views on the election and its outcome, despite government efforts to put companies under its heel," she added.

The two organisations said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government should refrain from threatening or throttling social media to prevent opposing views from circulating during the election.

They recalled that the government has stepped up its prosecutions of journalists, political opponents, and others for criticizing the President and the government online, or just for sharing or liking critical articles on social media.

In Sunday's parliamentary and presidential elections, Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP, face their biggest ever challenge to their rule.

Polls show the race is tight between Erdogan and his challenger for the presidency, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The race between their respective alliances for a majority in parliament is also neck-and-neck.

The government frequently blocks websites and orders removal of content that voices opposing views, and has a record of blocking access to popular social media networks at times of political unrest or when it anticipates criticism, as it did after the devastating February 2023 earthquakes.

But the rights groups also urged the tech companies to resist government pressure.

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