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The ban due to the visit of Turkish PM Davutoglu is effective from 6am on Friday until 3pm on Saturday

The Police announced that demonstrations in the city center of Athens are banned for public safety concerns, between 6am on Friday and 3pm on Saturday.

The ban was introduced due to the upcoming visit of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu, as part of the Supreme Council of Cooperation between Greece and Turkey that is scheduled to take place in Athens. About 6,000 to 7,000 police officers are set to be deployed in the streets of Athens in order to prevent any disturbances.

Aside from the top-level political meeting though on Saturday, there are concerns over the anniversary of the murder of Alexis Grigoropoulos, which could result in major disturbances. The hunger strike of Nikos Romanos, Grigoropoulos’ best friend, may also exacerbate the situation, as indicated by a recent solidarity demonstration which resulted in clashes between police and anarchists in Exarchia.

Turkey’s lawmakers have passed a law expanding the powers of the country’s telecom authority and tightening Internet controls.

The regulations are part of a broader bill that was proposed earlier this week by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Sources say the new law would broaden the authorities’ power to block access to websites without a court order.

The new regulations also authorize telecommunication authorities to store Internet users’ data, potentially letting them track online activity.

Social activists and legal experts have strongly opposed to the new legislation and regulations.

“This is intensely problematic because based on this broad terminology a public servant will make the judgment to block access to websites,” media outlets quoted Yaman Akdeniz, a legal expert who has fought the government on Internet cases.

“I find it incompatible with the constitution…. This is a dubious power to give to a questionable public authority such as the telecoms directorate,” the expert added.

Ankara also blocked access to Twitter on March 20, after it was used to spread corruption allegations against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his inner circle.

YouTube was blocked on March 27 after the release of an audio recording revealing a discussion among top Turkish security officials about a possible false-flag operation to justify a military offensive against Syria.

The laws governing Internet in Turkey were already updated this year in a move that activists said is harming freedom and increasing censorship.

The developments come as protesters used social media during last year’s anti-government protests, and the platforms were used this year to spread audio recordings containing corruption allegations against the government.

Source: presstv.com