Turkey's government faced growing pressure Thursday to quickly implement a top court order to unblock Twitter, which it had banned after corruption claims went viral on the social media site.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the block on March 20 in the lead-up to last Sunday's key local elections, in which his party won sweeping wins despite the damaging online leaks.
On Wednesday Turkey's Constitutional Court ruled that the Twitter ban breached free speech, and ordered the communications ministry and telecoms authority to reverse it "with immediate effect".
The US-based micro-blogging service reacted quickly to the ruling, tweeting: "We welcome this Constitutional Court ruling and hope to have Twitter access restored in Turkey soon."
But although the ruling by the country's highest court was published Thursday morning in Turkey's Official Gazette, by mid-morning the service still remained unavailable in Turkey.
Sezgin Tanrikulu, a lawmaker for the secular main opposition Republican People's Party, said he would lodge a complaint unless the government abides by the court ruling, warning that defying it "would mean an abuse of power".
Tanrikulu -- who was among the group that had lodged the initial challenge with the Constitutional Court -- warned that the ruling is "binding for everyone, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who does not recognise the law".
President Abdullah Gul, a regular Twitter user, also said the bans on the micro-blogging service as well as on video-sharing service YouTube should be reversed.
"The bans on Twitter and YouTube now need to be lifted. I've expressed this to the minister and to the authorities," Gul was quoted as saying by Hurriyet newspaper on Thursday, while on a visit to Kuwait.
'We will evaluate verdict'
A US State Department spokeswoman had told a regular Washington media briefing: "If there has been a court decision, we think it needs to be implemented quickly, as quickly as possible".
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule tweeted: "Good news for freedom of expression in Turkey: Constitutional Court orders lifting of Twitter ban. Looking forward to swift enforcement!"
But a lawmaker from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) suggested Thursday that the court ruling may not be implemented immediately.
"It is only about individual complaints to the Constitutional Court," Mustafa Sentop told CNN-Turk television, suggesting that the ban may only be lifted for the three individuals who had launched the court complaint.
"We will evaluate the verdict."
Telecoms regulator TIB declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
Since December, Twitter had been used to anonymously release a spate of audio recordings that purported to expose corruption involving Erdogan's relatives and allies.
The ban has been widely circumvented by Twitter users, who have instead sent tweets via text message or by adjusting their Internet settings.
Polling has shown that the Twitter and YouTube bans, despite widespread condemnation from NATO allies and human rights groups, had little effect on Erdogan loyalists at Sunday's elections.
Research centre Ipsos found that only 3.6 percent of AKP supporters said they had been affected by the Internet blocks, and three quarters said the corruption claims had "no effect".
Millions of Turks approve of Erdogan, despite criticism of a growing authoritarianism, because of the strong economic growth seen during his 11-year rule, analysts say.
"The Turkish economy is betting on Erdogan as an anchor of stability, and so are the people," said Michael Meier of German think-tank the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation.
"The corruption allegations are there, but at times of economic growth voters are pragmatic. That's because there's still enough left of the cake to go around."
Meier added that "Erdogan has been able to touch the Turkish soul and pride ... To many he embodies the dream of rising from a poor Istanbul neighbourhood to head of government."
AFP
Thu Apr 03 2014
Kerajaan cadang perkenal pembiayaan swasta pastikan kemampanan sektor air
Kerajaan menyasarkan untuk memperkenalkan pembiayaan swasta alternatif bagi memastikan kemampanan kewangan program sektor air.
[INFOGRAFIK] Tarikh-tarikh penting Istiadat Pertabalan Yang Di-Pertuan Agong ke-17
Berikut adalah info berkenaan dengan tarikh-tarikh penting Istiadat Pertabalan Yang Di-Pertuan Agong ke-17
Menendez didapati bersalah ke atas 16 pertuduhan rasuah
Juri di Mahkamah Persekutuan Manhattan membacakan keputusannya pada Selasa selepas berbincang selama lebih 12 jam selama tiga hari.
Tindakan keras terhadap penjualan racun makhluk perosak haram - CAP
CAP menggesa Lembaga Racun Makhluk Perosak segera mengambil tindakan keras terhadap penjualan racun makhluk perosak haram di negara ini dan menguatkuasakan dengan tegas Akta Racun Perosak 1974.
SDG: UTP lahir pelajar berkemahiran, tinggi tanggungjawab sosial
UTP berhasrat mendidik pelajar bukan sahaja untuk mahir dalam aspek teknikal tetapi juga untuk menjadi warganegara yang bertanggungjawab dari segi kemahiran dan keupayaan sosial.
RUU 355: Pindaan perlu untuk praktikaliti, keadilan
Apa sahaja pindaan terhadap akta itu perlu berjalan selari dengan persediaan mereka yang bertanggungjawab melaksanakannya, seperti mahkamah syariah, pegawai penguatkuasa agama dan peguam syarie.
Kerajaan teliti kaedah baharu lantikan tetap
Kerajaan sedang meneliti kaedah baharu lantikan tetap bagi memastikan pengurusan kewangan negara yang lebih mampan.
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Wilayah Persekutuan), Dr Zaliha Mustafa berkata hasil kajian tersebut akan dibentangkan kepada Jemaah Menteri untuk pertimbangan dan kelulusan.
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Wilayah Persekutuan), Dr Zaliha Mustafa berkata hasil kajian tersebut akan dibentangkan kepada Jemaah Menteri untuk pertimbangan dan kelulusan.
PDRM gerak unit skuba forensik, K9 cari bukti hari ini
Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) akan menggerakkan unit skuba (Unit Forensik) serta Unit Anjing Pengesan (K9) ke lokasi penemuan mayat Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah, 25, di Kampung Sri Kledang, Hulu Selangor, pagi esok.
Timbalan Ketua Polis Daerah Hulu Selangor DSP Mohd Asri Mohd Yunus ketika dihubungi Bernama berkata proses mencari bahan bukti akan dimulakan sekitar jam 9 pagi di kawasan parit berhampiran ladang kelapa sawit berkenaan.
Timbalan Ketua Polis Daerah Hulu Selangor DSP Mohd Asri Mohd Yunus ketika dihubungi Bernama berkata proses mencari bahan bukti akan dimulakan sekitar jam 9 pagi di kawasan parit berhampiran ladang kelapa sawit berkenaan.
Dewan Rakyat: Langkah meknoktahkan kemisikan tegar di Sabah antara tumpuan hari ini
Langkah-langkah untuk meknoktahkan kemiskinan tegar di Sabah terutamanya di lapan daerah yang dikategorikan termiskin di Malaysia antara tumpuan persidangan Dewan Rakyat hari ini.
Kagame, menang 99.5 peratus pilihan raya Rwanda
Paul Kagame meneruskan khidmatnya buat penggal keempat berturut-turut sebagai Presiden Rwanda, selepas memenangi 99.15 peratus undi dalam pilihan raya negara itu.
Turkiye tidak luluskan kerjasama dengan Israel dalam NATO - Erdogan
Cubaan untuk bekerjasama dengan Israel dalam NATO adalah tidak boleh diterima, kata Presiden Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Erdogan label Netanyahu sebagai sakit mental
Erdogan mendakwa Perdana Menteri Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu berusaha meluaskan konflik di Gaza ke Lubnan dalam satu langkah.
Iran, Turki sambut baik tindakan Hamas terima cadangan gencatan senjata
Langkah Hamas penting dari segi "kecerdasan politik penentangan" dan Israel digesa lakukan perkara yang sama.
Nahas helikopter Lumut: Presiden Turkiye ucap takziah kepada keluarga anggota, Malaysia - Anwar
Presiden Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan mengutuskan ucapan takziah kepada keluarga 10 wira negara yang terkorban dalam nahas helikopter TLDM di Lumut, Perak.
Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Turki terus diasak kuasa besar untuk batalkan misi
Keputusan bergantung kepada perbincangan yang akan berlaku pada petang ini melibatkan pimpinan tertinggi IHH dengan wakil kerajaan Turki di Ankara.
Pemimpin Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh lawat Turki hujung minggu ini - Erdogan
Presiden Turki akan menjadi tuan rumah kepada pemimpin kanan Hamas itu.
Lebih 14,000 kanak-kanak dibunuh di Gaza, Israel telah mengalahkan Hitler - Presiden Turki
Israel melakukan pembunuhan beramai-ramai yang merupakan aib dalam sejarah manusia, baik di Gaza dan Tebing Barat, tegas Erdogan.
Erdogan mahu tingkat hubungan pertahanan, perdagangan Malaysia-Turki
Anwar dan Erdogan turut membincangkan pelbagai isu serantau dan antarabangsa termasuk situasi di Palestin.
Pembangkang Turki dahului Erdogan dalam pilihan raya tempatan
Kekalahan AKP merupakan tamparan buat Erdogan yang tidak mendapat sokongan rakyat disebabkan inflasi yang melambung tinggi.