X restricts access to jailed Istanbul mayor's account after Turkey's request, group says
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Access to jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu 's social media account on X has been blocked in Turkey, a monitoring platform said Thursday, the latest move against a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to Engelli Web, a website that that tracks and reports internet censorship in Turkey, X restricted Imamoglu's account in Turkey complying with a legal request by Turkish authorities who cited national security and public order concerns.
There was no immediate comment from X but a notice on the platform says the account — which has 9.7 million followers — has been 'withheld in TR in response to a legal demand.' The account remains accessible outside of Turkey.
Imamoglu, seen as the main opposition challenger to Erdogan's 22-year rule, was arrested on March 19 and jailed on corruption charges. He was nominated as his Republican People's Party, or CHP's presidential candidate while in custody.
His arrest has been widely viewed as politically motivated although the government insists Turkey's judiciary is independent and free of political influence. It triggered widespread demonstrations calling for his release and an end to Turkey's democratic backsliding under Erdogan.
Despite his detention, Imamoglu had remained active on social media. His lawyers are expected to appeal the legal restriction.
Opposition politicians criticized the restriction as an assault attack on free speech in Turkey.
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Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Tulane scientist resigns citing university censorship of pollution and racial disparity research
NEW ORLEANS — A Tulane University researcher resigned Wednesday, citing censorship from university leaders who had warned that her advocacy and research exposing the Louisiana petrochemical industry's health impacts and racial disparities in hiring had triggered blowback from donors and elected officials. In her resignation letter, Kimberly Terrell accused the university of sacrificing academic freedom to appease Louisiana's Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. Terrell, the director of community engagement at Tulane's Environmental Law Clinic claimed the clinic had been 'placed under a complete gag order' that barred her from making public statements about her research. According to emails obtained by The Associated Press, university leaders wrote that the work of the law clinic had become an 'impediment' to a Tulane redevelopment project reliant on support from state and private funders. The clinic represents communities fighting the petrochemical industry in court. Kate Kelly, a Landry spokesperson, denied that the governor threatened to withhold state funding. 'I cannot remain silent as this university sacrifices academic integrity for political appeasement and pet projects,' Terrell wrote. 'Our work is too important, and the stakes are too high, to sit back and watch special interests replace scholarship with censorship.' Terrell said she resigned 'to protect the work and interests' of the clinic. Tulane spokesperson Michael Strecker said in an emailed statement that the university 'is fully committed to academic freedom and the strong pedagogical value of law clinics.' He declined to comment on 'personnel matters.' Many of the clinic's clients are located along the heavily industrialized 85-mile (137-kilometer) stretch of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge commonly referred to by environmental groups as 'Cancer Alley.' Marcilynn Burke, dean of Tulane's law school, wrote in a May 4 email to clinic staff that Tulane University President Michael Fitts worried the clinic's work threatened to tank support for the university's long-sought efforts to redevelop New Orleans' historic Charity Hospital as part of a downtown expansion. 'Elected officials and major donors have cited the clinic as an impediment to them lending their support to the university generally and this project specifically,' Burke wrote. Burke did not respond to an emailed request for comment Wednesday. In her resignation letter, Terrell wrote that she had been told the governor 'threatened to veto' any state funding for the expansion project unless Tulane's president 'did something' about the clinic. A 2022 study Terrell co-authored found higher cancer rates in Black or impoverished communities in Louisiana. Another study she published last year linked toxic air pollution in Louisiana with premature births and lower weight in newborns. In April, Terrell published research showing that Black people received significantly less jobs in the petrochemical industry than white people in Louisiana despite having similar levels of training and education. Media coverage of the April study coincided with a visit by Tulane leaders to Louisiana's capitol to lobby elected officials in support of university projects. Shortly after, Burke, the law school's dean, told clinic staff in an email that 'all external communications' such as social media posts and media interviews 'must be pre-approved by me.' Emails from May show that Burke denied requests from Terrell to make comments in response to various media requests, correspondence and speaking engagements, saying they were not 'essential functions of the job.' On May 12, Terrell filed a complaint with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, claiming that her academic freedom had been violated. The agency, which accredits Tulane, did not comment. In a May 21 audio recording obtained by the AP, Provost Robin Forman said that when Tulane leadership met with elected officials in April, they were pressed as to why ''Tulane has taken a stand on the chemical industry as harming communities',' and this 'left people feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable.' Burke said in an email that university leaders had misgivings about a press release in which a community activist represented by Terrell's clinic is quoted as saying that petrochemical companies 'prioritize profit over people.' Burke noted that Fitts was concerned about the clinic's science-based advocacy program, and Terrell's work in particular which he worried had veered 'into lobbying.' Burke said Fitts required an explanation of 'how the study about racial disparities relates directly to client representation.' The clinic cites the study in a legal filing opposing a proposed chemical plant beside a predominantly Black neighborhood , arguing the community would be burdened with a disproportionate amount of pollution and less than a fair share of the jobs. The clinic's annual report highlighted its representation of a group of residents in a historic Black community who halted a massive grain terminal that would have been built around 300 feet from their homes. The provost viewed the clinic's annual report 'as bragging that the clinic has shut down development,' Burke said in an email. In her resignation letter, Terrell warned colleagues that she felt Tulane's leaders 'have chosen to abandon the principles of knowledge, education, and the greater good in pursuit of their own narrow agenda.' ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Associated Press
With Trump as ally, El Salvador's President ramps up crackdown on dissent
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Days before his arrest outside his daughter's house in the outskirts of San Salvador, constitutional lawyer Enrique Anaya called Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele a 'dictator' and a 'despot' on live TV. This week, lawyer Jaime Quintanilla stood outside a detention facility in El Salvador's capital with a box of food and clothes for his client, unsure if Anaya would ever be released. The Saturday arrest of Anaya, a fierce critic of Bukele, marks the latest move in what watchdogs describe as a wave of crackdown on dissent by the Central American leader. They say Bukele is emboldened by his alliance with U.S. President Donald Trump , who has not only praised him but avoided criticizing actions human rights defenders, international authorities and legal experts deem authoritarian. Authorities in El Salvador have targeted outspoken lawyers like Anaya, journalists investigating Bukele's alleged deals with gangs and human rights defenders calling for the end of a three-year state of emergency , which has suspended fundamental civil rights. Some say they have been forced to flee the country. 'They're trying to silence anyone who voices an opinion — professionals, ideologues, anyone who is critical — now they're jailed.' Quintanilla said. 'It's a vendetta.' Bukele's office did not respond to a request for comment. 'I don't care if you call me a dictator' Observers see a worrisome escalation by the popular president, who enjoys extremely high approval ratings due to his crackdown on the country's gangs . By suspending fundamental rights, Bukele has severely weakened gangs but also locked up 87,000 people for alleged gang ties, often with little evidence or due process. A number of those detained were also critics. Bukele and his New Ideas party have taken control of all three branches of government, stacking the country's Supreme Court with loyalists. Last year, in a move considered unconstitutional , he ran for reelection, securing a resounding victory. 'I don't care if you call me a dictator,' Bukele said earlier this month in a speech. 'Better that than seeing Salvadorans killed on the streets.' In recent weeks, those who have long acted as a thorn in Bukele's side say looming threats have reached an inflection point. The crackdown comes as Bukele has garnered global attention for keeping some 200 Venezuelan deportees detained in a mega-prison built for gangs as part of an agreement with the Trump administration. 'Of course I'm scared' Anaya was detained by authorities on unproven accusations of money laundering. Prosecutors said he would be sent to 'relevant courts' in the coming days. Quintanilla, his lawyer, rejects the allegations, saying his arrest stems from years of vocally questioning Bukele. Quintanilla, a longtime colleague of Anaya, said he decided to represent his friend in part because many other lawyers in the country were now too afraid to show their faces. On Tuesday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed 'deep concern' over Anaya's arrest. Anaya, 61, is a respected lawyer and commentator in El Salvador with a doctorate in constitutional law. He has criticized Bukele's crackdown on the gangs and Bukele stacking of El Salvador's high court. Last year, he was among those who unsuccessfully petitioned the country's top electoral authority to reject Bukele's re-election bid, saying it violated the constitution . Days before his arrest, Anaya railed on television against the detention of human rights lawyer Ruth López , who last week shouted, 'They're not going to silence me, I want a public trial,' as police escorted her shackled to court. 'Of course I'm scared,' Anaya told the broadcast anchor. 'I think that anyone here who dares to speak out, speaks in fear.' While some of Bukele's most vocal critics, like Anaya and López, have been publicly detained, other human rights defenders have quietly slipped out of the country, hoping to seek asylum elsewhere in the region. They declined to comment or be identified out of fear that they would be targeted even outside El Salvador. Fear and an ally in Trump Last month, a protest outside of Bukele's house was violently quashed by police and some of the protesters arrested. He also ordered the arrest of the heads of local bus companies for defying his order to offer free transport while a major highway was blocked. In late May, El Salvador's Congress passed a 'foreign agents' law , championed by the populist president. It resembles legislation implemented by governments in Nicaragua, Venezuela, Russia, Belarus and China to silence and criminalize dissent by exerting pressure on organizations that rely on overseas funding. Verónica Reyna, a human rights coordinator for the Salvadoran nonprofit Servicio Social Pasionista, said police cars now regularly wait outside her group's offices as a lingering threat. 'It's been little-by-little,' Reyna said. 'Since Trump came to power, we've seen (Bukele) feel like there's no government that's going to strongly criticize him or try to stop him.' Trump's influence extends beyond his vocal backing of Bukele , with his administration pushing legal boundaries to push his agenda, Reyna, other human rights defenders and journalists said. The U.S. Embassy in El Salvador, which once regularly denounced the government's actions, has remained silent throughout the arrests and lingering threats. It did not respond to a request for comment. In its final year, the Biden administration, too, dialed back its criticism of the Bukele government as El Salvador's government helped slow migration north in the lead up to the 2024 election. On Tuesday, Quintanilla visited Anaya in detention for the first time since his arrest while being watched by police officers. Despite the detention, neither Anaya nor Quintanilla have been officially informed of the charges. Quintanilla worries that authorities will use wide ranging powers granted to Bukele by the 'state of emergency' to keep him imprisoned indefinitely. Journalists stranded Óscar Martínez, editor-in-chief of news site El Faro, and four other journalists have left the country and are unable to return safely, as they face the prospect of arrest stemming from their reporting. At a time when many other reporters have fallen silent out of fear, Martínez's news site has investigated Bukele more rigorously than perhaps any other, exposing hidden corruption and human rights abuses under his crackdown on gangs. In May, El Faro published a three-part interview with a former gang leader who claimed he negotiated with Bukele's administration. Soon after, Martínez said the organization received news that authorities were preparing an arrest order for a half-dozen of their journalists. This has kept at least five El Faro journalists, including Martínez, stranded outside their country for over a month. On Saturday, when the reporters tried to return home on a flight, a diplomatic source and a government official informed them that police had been sent to the airport to wait for them and likely arrest them. The journalists later discovered that their names, along with other civil society leaders, appeared on a list of 'priority objectives' held by airport authorities. Martínez said Anaya's name was also on the list. Now in a nearby Central American nation, Martínez said he doesn't know when he will be able to board another flight home. And if he does, he doesn't know what will happen when he steps off. 'We fear that, if we return — because some of us surely will try — we'll be imprisoned,' he said. 'I am positive that if El Faro journalists are thrown in prison, we'll be tortured and, possibly, even killed.' ____ Janetsky reported from Mexico City. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
The Verge
13 hours ago
- The Verge
FCC's last Democratic commissioner doesn't know why Trump hasn't fired her yet
Every morning, Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez says she checks her email 'to see if I'm going into work.' At a time when the federal workforce has been slashed by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Gomez's job appears to be one of the most precarious in the US government. She's the last remaining Democrat at the now two-person FCC and has been touring the country to speak out about actions by President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who she says seek to censor and control Americans' speech. Gomez has accused her own agency under Carr's leadership of 'weaponizing' its authority 'to silence critics,' and opening 'sham investigations' into news outlets like NPR, PBS, ABC, CBS, and NBC. The idea that Gomez could wake up one day to an email dismissing her is not unfounded. That's essentially how the two Democratic commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission, another agency of the federal government that was created to be independent, found out that Trump was firing them — even though doing so without cause breached decades-old Supreme Court precedent. Now that it's only Gomez and Carr left at the commission, since Democrat Geoffrey Starks and Republican Nathan Simington both stepped down last week, the agency no longer has a quorum to vote on significant actions. Only three members of the five-person committee can be from the same party, and while Trump has one Republican nominee awaiting confirmation and a second rumored, Gomez isn't confident that Trump will eventually move to nominate another Democrat. 'I have not seen him nominate a single Democrat to the entire administration,' she tells The Verge in a brief interview after an event with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in Washington, DC. 'I have only seen him fire them.' One might assume that Gomez's nationwide tour critiquing the agency chair's actions would make for a tense office environment back at the FCC. But, she says, she actually has a 'good working relationship' with Carr. 'It just is what it is,' she says. 'He knows that I need to speak out, and we have a relationship where I can tell him my concerns also.' Does she have any sense of why Trump hasn't attempted to fire her? 'No,' Gomez says. 'I have not seen him nominate a single Democrat to the entire administration. I have only seen him fire them' But the loss of a quorum at the FCC could set up more points of opposition until a third commissioner is confirmed by the Senate. FCC bureaus are allowed to carry out some work themselves on what's called delegated authority, but are not supposed to deal with novel issues meant to be handled at the commission level. Those are the kinds of things Gomez thinks should wait for a quorum so the FCC can vote on them, leading to a final decision that — unlike bureau-level actions — is reviewable in court. Gomez has already critiqued the bureau-level approval of Verizon's $20 billion Frontier acquisition as a 'backroom' deal, and warns that the review of Paramount's proposed Skydance deal should not be handled in the same way. During the CTA event, Gomez gave a tentative response to whether the FCC had adequate guardrails to fend off conflicts of interest with Musk's companies, like SpaceX, which operates the Starlink satellite internet network, that can benefit from certain agency policy. Until recently, Musk had a cozy relationship with Trump, and his involvement with DOGE raised questions about the kinds of information he could access that related to his financial interests (the White House insisted Musk would step back from any potential conflicts). 'I can only imagine our general counsel would be very involved in making those decisions,' Gomez says. 'As a commissioner, I don't have perfect insight into those types of activities, but our chairman is the former general counsel of the agency and is fully aware of those obligations.' Despite the tenuous position she's in, Gomez says she's been encouraged during her First Amendment tour to see support from people of different ideological backgrounds. 'This is not a red or a blue issue. This is an issue of right or wrong. This is an issue of protecting our democracy and the First Amendment,' she says. 'I think it's important that we speak up and push back, because we can't let this become the status quo.'
