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YouTube Banned in Turkey, Again
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - September 21, 2007 11:25 AM
YouTube again finds itself banned in Turkey
Once more, Turkey has put the ban on YouTube after a YouTube user
reported that the Google-owned video sharing web site had several
clips that were considered insulting to several prominent Turkish
political figures. The Turkish government then ordered the national
telecommunications company to block access to YouTube for all Turkish
residents until YouTube agrees to remove the clips.
According to the nation's current penal code, insulting "Turkishness"
is a crime that is punishable by law. Turkish courts often press
charges against journalists when they mention the Armenian genocide
that took place in the early 1900s.
In March, YouTube was banned in Turkey for two days before several
"offensive" videos were removed from the web site.
In the most recent ban, a court located in the Turkish city of Sivas
ordered the temporary ban because of a video that insults President
Abdullah Gul, the nation's modern founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish army.
Yesterday's ban of YouTube has drawn outrage from the Reporters
Without Borders organization, a renowned journalist watchdog group.
"Blocking an entire website because of a few videos is a
disproportionate measure," the organization said in an official
statement.
Thailand, Morocco and several other nations also imposed bans on
YouTube for a number of different reasons.
YouTube Banned in Turkey, Again
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - September 21, 2007 11:25 AM
YouTube again finds itself banned in Turkey
Once more, Turkey has put the ban on YouTube after a YouTube user
reported that the Google-owned video sharing web site had several
clips that were considered insulting to several prominent Turkish
political figures. The Turkish government then ordered the national
telecommunications company to block access to YouTube for all Turkish
residents until YouTube agrees to remove the clips.
According to the nation's current penal code, insulting "Turkishness"
is a crime that is punishable by law. Turkish courts often press
charges against journalists when they mention the Armenian genocide
that took place in the early 1900s.
In March, YouTube was banned in Turkey for two days before several
"offensive" videos were removed from the web site.
In the most recent ban, a court located in the Turkish city of Sivas
ordered the temporary ban because of a video that insults President
Abdullah Gul, the nation's modern founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish army.
Yesterday's ban of YouTube has drawn outrage from the Reporters
Without Borders organization, a renowned journalist watchdog group.
"Blocking an entire website because of a few videos is a
disproportionate measure," the organization said in an official
statement.
Thailand, Morocco and several other nations also imposed bans on
YouTube for a number of different reasons.