Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in front of many journalists, declared that he is totally against the daily use of the Internet.

Meeting with members of The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Press Institute (IPI) in Ankara on Thursday, Erdogan cited how the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have exploited the Internet to recruit more members. 

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He added that other terrorist organizations are also taking advantage of online social media to attract people to join their cause. 

"I am increasingly against the Internet every day," Erdogan said. He pointed out the ills of the Internet as he justified how online speech should be regulated and controlled.

Erdogan also added some statements on how media is reporting news especially online.

"Media should never have been given the liberty to insult," he said in relation to how media give criticisms.

Erdogan's disapproval of the Internet and online social media network sites is not surprising. He has been vocal against online social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter ever since his administration became a target of online bashers.

"It is a knife in the hand of a murderer," he said about the use of Twitter.

In fact, the Turkish government even banned YouTube and Twitter in March, after audio records on the alleged corruption scandal involving Erdogan and some of his cohorts spread online.

During the  meeting with Erdogan, the CPJ pointed out its concerns about the increasing cases of repression on the freedom of speech in Turkey. It also relayed to the president its concern for the repressive atmosphere journalists are experiencing in Turkey.

In December 2013, the CPJ listed Turkey as the number one jailer of journalists worldwide for the second year in a row. Turkey even surpassed China and Iran in this aspect.

TagsErdogan, Turkey, ISIS, Freedom of Speech, MEDIA, The Committee to Protect Journalists, International Press Institute