Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected accusations of intolerance following his decision to ban Twitter.
At a campaign rally in Istanbul Sunday, Erdogan confirmed that he gave the orders to shut down Twitter in Turkey.
He told the crowd, "I cannot understand how sensible people still defend Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. They run all kinds of lies."
The attempted crackdown came after links to wiretapped recordings suggesting corruption were posted on Twitter, causing Erdogan's government major embarrassment before local elections on March 30.
Erdogan said Twitter was applying double standards, shutting down accounts when the United States or Britain demand it, but defending freedom when Turkey, Ukraine or Egypt have concerns.
Despite the blockage, many in Turkey are finding ways to continue to tweet.
At a campaign rally in Istanbul Sunday, Erdogan confirmed that he gave the orders to shut down Twitter in Turkey.
He told the crowd, "I cannot understand how sensible people still defend Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. They run all kinds of lies."
The attempted crackdown came after links to wiretapped recordings suggesting corruption were posted on Twitter, causing Erdogan's government major embarrassment before local elections on March 30.
Erdogan said Twitter was applying double standards, shutting down accounts when the United States or Britain demand it, but defending freedom when Turkey, Ukraine or Egypt have concerns.
Despite the blockage, many in Turkey are finding ways to continue to tweet.
