ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - One of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) key broadcasters claimed on Wednesday that Twitter has suspended their account upon the request of Turkey which has recently launched a fresh offensive against the group in the Kurdistan Region.
“Twitter has censored free Kurdish media following Turkey’s invading attacks on the Southern Kurdistan [Kurdistan Region] and Rojava [northeast Syria],” read a statement by PKK’s Sterk TV on their new Twitter account.
“Upon the request of Turkey, the Twitter account of our Sterk TV has been suspended. We call on the free opinion to condemn this,” added the Norway-based broadcaster.
Twitter has written on the old account that it “suspends accounts that violate Twitter Rules.”
The platform suspends accounts for several reasons, such as glorification of violence and the sharing of terror group propaganda.
The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased cultural and political rights of Kurds in Turkey. However, it is considered to be a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and some European countries.
A number of people have claimed that Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have censored material affiliated to the PKK. On the other hand, Turkish state media slammed Twitter in 2020 for allegedly failing to suspend PKK-affiliated accounts for “glorifying violence.”
It is not clear if Turkey had any role in the suspension of Sterk TV.
Turkey launched a new military campaign, dubbed Claw-Lock, against the PKK in Duhok, Kurdistan Region late Sunday.
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