Wikipedia restored in Turkey after being banned for over 2 years | #TheCube

Wikipedia restored in Turkey after being banned for over 2 years | #TheCube
Copyright The CubeDavis, Seana
By Seana Davis
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

Wikipedia restored in Turkey after being banned for over 2 years | #TheCube

ADVERTISEMENT

Wikipedia has been restored in Turkey after over two years of being banned.

It comes after the Constitutional Court ruled that it was a breach of freedom of expression to have banned the online encyclopedia.

All editions had been fully restored for almost all users, according to Netblocks, who monitors internet connectivity, shortly after the Constitutional Court published it's ruling in its official gazette.

Wikipedia had initially been blocked in 2017 due to two URLs, which according to the Court, had portrayed Turkey as supporting terrorist groups in the Syrian War.

The Court noted, however, that Wikipedia had cited international media, which had not been banned adding that it was an infringement on freedom of expression to ban the site.

This comes after a longstanding campaign by Wikipedia, who had used hashtags such as #WeMissTurkey to raise awareness.

Issuing a statement following the restoration, Wikimedia, the umbrella organisation, said: "We believe access to knowledge and free expression are fundamental human rights".

"We are thrilled that the people of Turkey will once again be able to participate in the largest global conversation about the culture and history of Turkey online and continue to make Wikipedia a vibrant source of information about Turkey and the world," Wikimedia said in a statement.

Wikipedia also has a case against Turkey that is ongoing within the European Court of Human Rights.

Click on the player above as Seana Davis in The Cube details more

Share this articleComments

You might also like

Turkey blocks social media access for 16 hours after Syria airstrike

Turkey re-arrests activist Osman Kavala hours after acquittal

No, Ursula von der Leyen’s grandfather was not an SS general