(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian activists living in Turkey said Turkish police have stopped hundreds of Syrians on the pretext of conducting security checks and checking their identity papers in recent weeks. However, Syrians stopped explained that the Turkish personnel patrolling public places and streets checked the Telegram application on their smartphones if the person uses the application. The police reviewed the conversations, and images sent and received.
The owner of a licensed shop in Gaziantep city said to Zaman al-Wasl that a Turkish patrol passed by his shop on Tuesday evening. They asked to see his documents, and then they asked him to unlock his mobile phone while asking if he has an account on the Telegram application. The shop owner confirmed he did and the personnel asked him to open the application and read through his conversations.
According to the shop owner when he asked them why they are looking at Telegram, they replied that this application is used by Islamic State members who are heavily present in Turkey.
A Syrian media activist in Istanbul said that a similar thing happened to him when a Turkish patrol stopped him and asked to open the lock his mobile phone. One of the patrol members then spent half an hour reading his messages. The media activist explained that the policeman was fluent in Arabic.
Activists warned of the consequences of this measure as many Syrians interested in following news join Telegram groups established by different military factions in Syria. The factions prefer using Telegram as they consider it a safe environment and it is to access to disseminate news, pictures and recordings using the application. Syrians in Turkey who join these groups may be considered legally accountable and even detained, as some of the factions in Syria are classified as terrorist groups by the Turkish state. They recommend that Syrians present in Turkey clean remove these groups from their contact lists.
The Turkish authorities have recently imposed security checks on Syrians nationals living in Turkey. Some consider that these measures have reached the extent of harassment and interference in personal freedom.
Zaman A Wasl
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