World News

Wikipedia appeals to Turkish constitutional court over website’s blocking

Online encyclopaedia Wikipedia has appealed to Turkey’s constitutional court against a government decision to block access to its website, a news agency said on Tuesday.

The case has heightened concerns about censorship in Turkey.

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia with the aim to allow anyone to edit articles. It is the largest and most popular general reference work on the Internet, which is ranked among the 10 most popular websites.

Turkey’s telecommunications watchdog said recently that access to Wikipedia had been blocked, citing a law allowing it to ban access to websites deemed a threat to national security.

Local media reported that the block on the site was prompted by two Wikipedia entries accusing Turkey of links to Islamist militant groups.

The communications ministry said that Wikipedia was attempting to run a “smear campaign” against the country, saying some articles purported that Ankara was coordinating with militant groups.

A Turkish court on Friday rejected an appeal by the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia against the blocking.

The court said that while freedom of speech was a fundamental right, it could be limited in cases where there was a “necessity for regulation”.

The Wikimedia Foundation called on the Turkish government to restore full access to the site.

S-Davies Wande

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