Turkey on Saturday blocked all access to online encyclopaedia Wikipedia for allegedly running articles that claimed there were links between Ankara and terror groups, reported AFP. “After technical analysis and legal consideration...an administrative measure has been taken for this website,” Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority said.
The Turkish government cited a law that allows authorities to ban access to websites it deems obscene, or a threat to national security, to maintain public order. The Communications Ministry said Wikipedia had tried to run a “smear campaign” against Turkey, according to state-run news agency Anadolu. “Instead of coordinating against terrorism, it has become part of an information source that is running a smear campaign against Turkey in the international arena,” the ministry said.
“Access to information is a fundamental human right. Turkish people, I will always stand with you to fight for this right,” Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales wrote on Twitter. In a statement, Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation that supports Wikipedia, said it was seeking judicial review of the decision. “We are committed to ensuring that Wikipedia remains available to the millions of people who rely on it in Turkey,” the organisation said, according to CNN.
Monitoring group Turkey Blocks said the ban on Wikipedia and its editions in all languages was detected on Saturday morning, Reuters reported. “The loss of availability is consistent with internet filters used to censor content in the country,” it added.
The government had asked Wikipedia to remove the offensive content to have the ban revoked, but the website has refused to take down the articles, according to Anadolu. As per the law, the Turkish Telecommunications Authority has to submit its order to a court within 24 hours, after which the judiciary will decide whether the ban should be upheld.
The Turkish government has been accused of blocking access to social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter in the aftermath of militant attacks in the country. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said security threat in Turkey necessitated the measures.
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