Slowdown in access to social media in Turkey a ‘security measure,’ says PM

ISTANBUL

The slowdown in internet connection experienced throughout Turkey is part of “security measures” taken by the government, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Nov. 4, as the access of millions of people to major social media sites was stalled from the early hours of morning.

“These kinds of measures may be taken from time to time for security reasons. These are temporary measures and when the danger is alleviated, everything returns to normal,” said Yıldırım. 

His statement came amid the detention of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers and leaders, who face charges over links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).  

A nationwide internet blackout has blocked access to internet-based applications WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, with many complaining that access is impossible without using a VPN.

Internet users in the eastern and southeastern provinces faced major outages in late October after the detention of the co-mayors of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı, who are currently under arrest.