Turkey Ban on Wikipedia Lifted After Court Ruling

Turkey Ban on Wikipedia Lifted After Court Ruling
Who should or shouldn't edit Wikipedia? (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Reuters
1/17/2020
Updated:
1/17/2020

ISTANBUL—Turkey restored access to online encyclopedia Wikipedia after the official publication on Wednesday of a Constitutional Court ruling that the more than two-year block was a violation of freedom of expression.

The detailed version of the ruling published in the Official Gazette opened the way for an end to the ban.

The ban was put in place in April 2017 due to entries that accused Turkey of having links to terrorist organizations.

Access to the website is set to be restored once the ruling, passed by a 10-to-six majority in the court, has been conveyed to the telecommunications watchdog.

Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization that hosts Wikipedia, had applied to Turkey’s highest court to challenge the block.

By Ezgi Erkoyun