Turkey’s media is more democratic than it was in coup periods, says Erdoğan

* Photo: Emin Sansar / AA

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Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the media awards ceremony held in the Presidency in Ankara yesterday (January 13).

Erdoğan has said that "Turkey will not bow down to pressure by social media companies that see themselves above the laws."

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), President Erdoğan has further noted that digitalization across the world has brought some radical changes and technology is at the epicenter of human life, enabling people to obtain information at a real-time basis.

Adding that digitalization has triggered some challenges and risks as well, he has stated, "Some of these challenges emanating from new media instruments are cyberbullying, cyberterrorism and false news, and disinformation has also peaked recently on social media."

"We surely cannot tolerate violent events targeting democracy and democratic institutions; but, we cannot also accept the closure of people's communication channels without any legal basis," he has said, stressing that the US elections demonstrated how far the "digital fascism" could go.

Erdoğan has also accused social media companies of "not complying with court rulings in Turkey against accounts found to support terrorism."

"We can't allow terrorism, its propaganda to gain ground in the virtual world just as we don't allow terrorism within our borders," he has said, adding that recent developments across the world demonstrated the importance of Turkey's legal fight against "digital dictatorship and cyberbullying."

'Starting from the Gezi...'

Elaborating further on the situation in Turkey, Erdoğan has also talked about the period since the Gezi protests in 2013. "Starting from the Gezi incidents, we, as Turkey, have been subjected to several arbitrary acts of social media companies to this day. We have been ruthlessly criticized, especially by opposition parties, because we have defended our citizens and democracy against these structures," Erdoğan has said and added:

"However, in the current situation, we can better understand the importance of our legal struggle against the digital dictatorship and cyber bullying. 'We luckily brought this issue to our agenda very early,' we now say."

'We will not bow down to social media companies'

Referring to the process since the enactment of the new social media law, which now obligates international social media companies to appoint local representatives in Turkey, Erdoğan has reiterated that they will "not surrender to the virtual world where people are harassed, defrauded, defamed, lynched and their rights are trampled upon."

"We will not bow down to the social media companies that see themselves above the law in protecting the rights and law of our people," Erdoğan has said and added, "Just as we show sensitivity for the safety of life and property of citizens, we show the same sensitivity for the protection of their data. We have covered a significant distance in our works that we began, saying, 'The data of Turkey must stay in Turkey'."

'A more colorful, democratic media'

Erdoğan has also indicated, "We all remember quite well how bad a picture the Turkish media had in coup periods. Even though the ones who have lost their privileges are disturbed, we now have a more colorful, more democratic and more pluralistic media structure."

"Don't we have shortcomings?," Erdoğan has asked and answered his question as follows: "Of course, we do. But we are looking for ways to eliminate these shortcomings. I hope that as more and more people make the best of their pen and profession, the marks of bad memories on Turkish media will be erased as well." (EKN/SD)