Another Internet Site Becomes Inaccessible

Following YouTube.com, the biggest video sharing site in the internet, which is still inaccessible in Turkey, another site, dailymotion.com, became inaccessible for insulting the memory of Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.

The dailymotion.com site is a video sharing site, too. The decision to ban the site came without any explanation.  

Youtube.com is inaccessible since May 5

Ankara’s 11th Criminal Court of Peace banned Youtube on April 24, 2008. Ankara’s 5th Criminal Court of Peace kept the site inaccessible with its April 30 decision. The banning was extended with another decision by Ankara’s 11th Criminal Court of Peace on June 6.

“We will not open the site until the image is removed from everywhere around the world”

Speaking at the Abant meeting organized by the Ankara Bar and turk.internet.com, Press Prosecutor of the Office of Ankara Prosecutor Nadi Türkaslan said youtube.com removed the images only from the Turkish database and they would not open the site until they removed them from the rest of the world as well. 

“Youtube refuse to collaborate"

Answering the questions about the subject, Minister of the Communications Binali Yıldırım said youtube.com was closed because it refused to collaborate with the Internet Security Presidency.

According to Yıldırım, youtube.com refuses to open a tax paying agency in Turkey and get a document of authorization. Youtube.com says that they cannot accept these conditions since they do not operate in Turkey.

The courts banned the site for having videos that are insulting to the memory of Atatürk, the founder of the TurkishRepublic.  

Although Turkey is among the few countries where youtube.com is not accessible, such as China, Iran, Thailand, the International Reporters Without Borders (RSF) did not include Turkey in the list of countries hostile to the internet. (EÖ/EZÖ/TB)