Turkish authorities have cracked down on social media posts over the years
Istanbul:
Turkish police said on Tuesday they have detained four people over “inflammatory” social media posts following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey.
The earthquake rocked the region early Monday, killing more than 5,000 people in Turkey and Syria, injuring thousands and leaving many without shelter in the bitter cold.
Police said four people were detained after officers detected accounts sharing “inflammatory posts aimed at creating fear and panic”.
It said a comprehensive investigation of the social media accounts was underway but gave no details about the content of the posts.
Turkish social media has been flooded with posts from people who complain about the lack of search and rescue efforts in their region, particularly in Hatay.
The police were seen disposing of such claims on Tuesday.
“Address and location information of citizens seeking help is immediately traced and coordinated,” he added.
Turkish authorities have in the past few years cracked down on social media posts, especially posts supporting “terrorism”, but this has led to accusations that this curbs freedom of expression.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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