A Turkish court decision forced the country's largest Internet service provider to block access to YouTubecom
By: Captain Maverick
Published: Mar 8, 2007
Updated: Aug 31, 2010
After days of furious debate between Turks and Greeks, a Turkish court ruled that YouTube.com video sharing site hosts some video content that insulted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who is the founder of modern Turkey. Following suit, Turk Telekom, Turkey's largest Internet service provider blocked access to YouTube.com. After first simply removing the offending items, the court said that was not enough and ordered the company to completely block access to the site.
After the ruling by the Istanbul court, a message was posted telling of the suspended access to the site. One of the videos on YouTube that was found offensive claimed that Ataturk and Turks in general were "homosexuals". There is a law in Turkey that makes it a crime to insult the memory of Ataturk who died in 1938. He is a revered figure in Turkey and many writers including the Nobel literature laureate Orhan Pamuk, have faced trial for writings that have allegedly breached this law.
YouTube.com will stay blocked until the court lifts its ruling. The court stated that the decision to cut access to the site was a legal decision and not a judgment on the material that was broadcast on the site. The government has promised to look at ways of amending article 301 of Turkey's penal code, under which prosecutions of writers can be brought. But it appears unlikely that the article will be abolished.
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