Eighty percent of minorities in Turkey say they cannot express themselves openly on social media, while 35 percent said they are subject to hate speech on the same platform, according to a recent survey conducted by a minority organization funded by the European Union, Hurriyet Daily News informed.

According to the survey conducted by the Yeniköy Panayia Greek Orthodox Church, Bilgi University and the Konda pollster company, four-fifths of minorities with Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Syriac origins said they could not freely express their ideas on social media.

 The survey was conducted among 746 Turkish citizens who are members of the Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Syriac communities between Jan. 30 and April 17.

Only 20 percent of the respondents said they felt free to share their thoughts on social media, while the rest said they did not share their real opinions on social media due to fear and concerns. The respondents said the social media platforms they used most commonly were Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, respectively.

Eighty percent also said Turkey needed legal measures that would penalize the violation of rights and discrimination on social media.