Access to the video-sharing site Youtube was banned with a court decision from the Ankara 12th Magistrate Criminal Court. When the ban was lifted, the Sivas 2nd Magistrate Criminal Court banned access again.

Anyone trying to access the site is met with the message, “Access to this site has been suspended in accordance with decision  No 2008/11 of 16.01.2008.” 

"A radical and disproportionate measure"

On 17 January, the Ankara 12th Criminal Court of Peace decided on the ban because the content of one video “contained disrespect towards Atatürk and Turkishness.”

International freedom of press and expression organisations have condemned the fact that access to a whole website has been suspended because of one video.

A similar problem was experienced in March last year because of a video said to contain an insult towards Atatürk. The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF), pointing to similar implementations in Brazil and Iran, had called the complete ban on access “a radical and disproportionate precaution” against “ a few documents of an offensive nature.”

Access to Wordpress suspended since August 

Meanwhile, Internet users trying to access the Wordpress.com site since August 2007 have been met by the message “Access to this site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/195 of T.C. Fatih 2.Civil Court of First Instance” (EÖ/TK/AG)