Turkey’s Wikipedia Ban Violates Rights, Top Court Rules

(Bloomberg) -- The Constitutional Court in Ankara ruled that the nationwide access ban on Wikipedia constitutes a violation of free speech, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.

The 10-to-6 majority ruling follows Wikimedia Foundation’s application to the top court. Authorities are expected to lift the ban, Haberturk website said.

Turkey’s information technologies watchdog BTK blocked access to the ubiquitous online encyclopedia that lets users edit its content in April 2017. The reason was Wikipedia’s refusal to remove content that accused the government of cooperating with terrorist organizations.

The Turkish government has blocked access to popular websites such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook in the past, offering justifications such as terror propaganda or insults against Turkish political figures.

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