Access to Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp restricted in Turkey

Internet users in Turkey were on Friday experiencing severe difficulties accessing social media after the country was plunged into new turbulence by the detention of its main pro-Kurdish leaders, correspondents and a watchdog said.

The messaging service WhatsApp was not working while users were also reporting severe problems accessing Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other sites, AFP correspondents and Internet users said.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirm did not directly confirm that blocks were in place but acknowledged that “from time to time for security reasons we can use such measures”.

“These are temporary measures. Once the danger is passed, everything returns to normal,” he told reporters in Istanbul in televised comments.