TURKEY’S INTERNET LAW NEEDS TO BE REFORMED OR ABOLISHED, SAYS OSCE MEDIA FREEDOM REPRESENTATIVE
armradio.am
19.01.2010 11:32
Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media,
asked the Turkish authorities to bring Turkey’s internet law in line
with OSCE commitments and other international standards on freedom
of expression.
"In its current form, Law 5651, commonly known as the Internet Law of
Turkey, not only limits freedom of expression, but severely restricts
the citizens’ right to access information," said Haraszti, commenting
on a new report commissioned by his office on the blocking measures
provided by the law.
"At present, 3,700 Internet sites are blocked in Turkey, including
YouTube, GeoCities, and Google sites. Even as some of the content
that is deemed ‘bad’, such as child pornography, must be sanctioned,
the law is unfit to achieve this. Instead, by blocking access to
entire websites from Turkey, it paralyzes access to numerous modern
file sharing or social networks," said Haraszti.