Wikipedia takes Erdogan to High Court in Turkey over freedom of speech

Turkish authorities banned site in country

Online encyclopedia Wikipedia has made an official appeal to the Turkish Constitutional Court, after a local court in Turkey rejected its initial appeal against the blocking of its content by the Turkish government. The Turkish Information and Communications authorities decided to block access to the site in Turkey based on a law against obscene content threat to national security. The Ankara 1st Criminal Court of Peace later ordered the ban after Wikipedia’s administration refused to remove two pages claiming that Ankara channeled support to jihadists in Syria.

The application to the Constitutional Court comes four days after the same court rejected an appeal by the Wikimedia Foundation against the decision.

In its petition, the online encyclopedia referred to European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Constitutional Court rulings on freedom of expression.