DAP urges Turkey to lift ban on Twitter

(TMI) – DAP has called on the Turkish government to withdraw its ban on the microblogging tool Twitter, saying the move befits a tin-pot dictatorship more than the democracy that the world believes Turkey to be”.

DAP secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, saying the ban was a gross infringement on freedom of speech, said Ankara should not fear Twitter.

“Public criticism is part and parcel of democracy, and should be accorded space insofar as it is peaceful.

“The Turkish government need not fear a social media tool like Twitter. Only those who fear the truth and wants to impose fear on the people will ban Twitter,” he said in a statement.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had reportedly declared a war on Twitter, saying he would “eradicate” the site.

“I don’t care what the international community says. Everyone will witness the power of the Turkish Republic,” he was quoted as saying on March 20.

Despite the ban, Turkish Twitter users, numbering some ten million, had tried alternative ways to access the site.

Internet monitoring company Renesys reported that Twitter IP addresses were now blocked in Turkey.