The ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik on Thursday slammed Twitter for providing blue "verified account" badges to the leaders of the PYD terrorist group.
Talking to reporters following a party meeting in the capital Ankara, Çelik said while Twitter does not provide blue badges to Turkish Cypriot leaders, it does so for PYD terrorist leaders, referring to one of the PKK terrorist group's Syrian branches.
"On what basis you can pretend like not recognizing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)? You are not the United Nations, the European Union, or any state. Why do you allow terrorist propaganda by providing a blue badge to the PYD terror group leader, Mazloum Kobani? Therefore, these platforms must be objectively regulated. The sovereignty over data and matter of sharing data is an issue of national sovereignty," he said.
The blue verified badge on Twitter lets people know that an account of public interest is authentic.
The island of Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish Cypriot government in the north and a Greek Cypriot administration in the south since a 1974 military coup aimed at Cyprus' annexation by Greece. Turkey's military intervention stopped the persecution and violence against Turkish Cypriots by ultra-nationalist Greek Cypriots that spanned years.
The TRNC was established in 1983 on the northern tier of the island and is only recognized by Turkey. The country has faced an ongoing embargo on commerce, transportation and culture ever since.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
