Turkey’s top court rules Wikipedia ban breaches free speec

ISTANBUL: Turkey´s Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled that the government´s ban on access to online encyclopedia Wikipedia violated freedom of expression, the official Anadolu news agency reported.

The ban imposed by Turkey´s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has remained in place since April 2017.

Turkish officials said at the time the measure was needed as Wikipedia had failed to remove content deemed false from its pages that linked Turkey with terror groups.

But the move caused an outcry among freedom of information activists who accuse Turkey of slapping bans on websites and social media with alarming regularity.

A local court is due to decide whether the ban will be lifted, according to Turkish media reports.