Turkey: Government lifts YouTube ban
Die Türkei hat die vor mehr als zwei Jahren verfügte Blockade des Internetvideoportals Youtube aufgehoben. Der Zugang zu der Internetseite war am Sonntag wieder freigeschaltet.
The government in Ankara had justified the blocking of the portal with videos that allegedly insulted the founder of the republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. However, international civil rights groups and leading Turkish politicians had criticized the permanent block. Communications Minister Binali Yildirim said on Turkish television that the videos in question had been removed from the internet. "I hope that they will learn from this experience and that such a thing will not happen again," he said. He expects YouTube to abide by Turkish laws. There are countless videos on YouTube in which Kurds and Turks insult each other. Turkish and Greek users also use the platform to vent their enmities virtually. For example, there was a video showing Atatürk as a monkey.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) criticized Turkey in June for its internet censorship. The country had blocked more than 5,000 pages on the worldwide web for the population, announced the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Press, Dunja Mijatovic. "I ask the Turkish authorities to lift the blockades that prevent the population from being part of the global information society," said the OSCE expert. The country must adapt to international standards of freedom of expression. The Turkish government subsequently declared in July that Internet surveillance was to be further strengthened with a new police unit. The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice want to set up an "IP Tracking Center" for this purpose. Sites are blocked for pornography, gambling and banned political content.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) criticized Turkey in June for its internet censorship. The country had blocked more than 5,000 pages on the worldwide web for the population, announced the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Press, Dunja Mijatovic. "I ask the Turkish authorities to lift the blockades that prevent the population from being part of the global information society," said the OSCE expert. The country must adapt to international standards of freedom of expression. The Turkish government subsequently declared in July that Internet surveillance was to be further strengthened with a new police unit. The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice want to set up an "IP Tracking Center" for this purpose. Sites are blocked for pornography, gambling and banned political content.
