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Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Blocked In Turkey During Reported Coup Attempt (techcrunch.com)
An anonymous reader writes: In response to an attempted military coup, the Turkish government has reportedly blocked social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. TechCrunch reports: "Turkey Blocks, a Twitter account that regularly checks if sites are being blocked in the country, reported at 1:04 PM Pacific (11:04 PM Istanbul time) that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were all unresponsive, though Instagram and Vimeo remained available." Some Turkish users were able to update their social media accounts likely through a VPN or other anonymizing service. One user posted a video on Twitter that shows what appears to be a fighter jet flying very low over the Turkish capital of Ankara; another user has tweeted a video of a helicopter opening fire in Turkey. The Associated Press reports that Turkish prime minister, Binali Yildirim, has confirmed the coup by a group within Turkey's military. The following statement from the group was reportedly read on local television: "Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and the general security that was damaged. All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue."
UPDATE 7/15/16: Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a statement in a FaceTime call to CNN Turk urging Turkish citizens to take to the streets to defend "Turkish democracy." He urges the Turkish people to convene at public squares and airports, saying there is no power higher than the power of the people.
UPDATE 7/15/16: Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a statement in a FaceTime call to CNN Turk urging Turkish citizens to take to the streets to defend "Turkish democracy." He urges the Turkish people to convene at public squares and airports, saying there is no power higher than the power of the people.
True. Perhaps Erdogan underestimated how deeply ingrained Atatürk's legacy is in the military, and failed to fully defuse that time bomb. We can only hope that the Colonels or whoever they are are as firmly in control of the military as the Generals would be, or this could spiral out of control and into a civil war.
Don't be too quick though to believe the notion (all too eagerly repeated by CNN) that it's Gülenists leading the coup, i.e. a different brand of muslims. It might be true, but the Turkish government has always been quick to blame stuff on that movement. And if they want anyone in or outside the military to stand up against this coup, that would by far be the best lie to spread.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
Turkey has been a member of NATO since '52, and has had 2 coups since ('60 and '80) as well as a military intervention in '71, and they stepped in as recently as '97. Keep in mind that the Turkish army is charged to defend democracy and step in when that is threatened. That may sound weird (and it's doubtful that their motives were as pure as that in '80) but it appears that it is kind of necessary sometimes.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
Isn't nominal democracy a condition for NATO membership?
No. Turkey and Greece were both members of NATO while they were military dictatorships. NATO has never been much concerned about the internal politics of its members.
No, I doubt that greatly. The one thing Turkey has long been is very anti-Russian. The sentiments are very old, dating back to the Ottoman period. Erdogan has been pushing buttons for a few years now, and while everyone thought he had sufficiently emasculated the army to prevent a coup, clearly he had not.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Just moments ago. Seems it was promptly rejected.
... and I hope the military wins and reestablishes a working Kemalism.
Erdogan was a huge leap backwards for Turkey. They need to reestablish secularism and seperation of power.
And new rules and a new democratic election.
Keep your fingers crossed.
My thoughts and hopes are with Turkey now. Yours should be too.
My 2 Eurocents.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Turkey has had a few coups. Since NATO? Isn't nominal democracy a condition for NATO membership?
I think the formula you're looking for is: !communist. During the cold war it was "he's a bastard, but he's our bastard" rules.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
I raise turkeys. The heritage breeds can fly, but they are much smaller and lighter than the kind you eat for Thanksgiving. And by fly, I mean flap their wings enough to jump over a 2m fence.
Until 2003 the, the Turkish military actually had the constitutional power to dissolve the government. The military acting to restore a secular government is a long tradition in Turkey - this isn't a banana republic-style coup. This is part of the traditional (and until recently, constitutional) power of the Turkish military.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.