Turkey removes ban from Wikipedia on Wikipedia Day

Turkey has removed a ban on Wikipedia after almost three years, be clear that Wikipedia was established on the same day (January 15).

Wikipedia was back online in Turkey on Wednesday for the first time in nearly three years after a Turkish court lifted a government ban on the website.

The ban was lifted and access to resumed hours after Turkey’s Official Gazette reported details of a ruling made by the country’s Constitutional Court.

According to the details, A court in Turkey’s capital Ankara ruled on Wednesday to lift a ban on Wikipedia, after a decision by the country’s top court that the block breached freedom of expression.

Turkish authorities had blocked the online encyclopedia on April 29, 2017, after which its parent organization, the Wikimedia Foundation, filed a case against the ban with the country’s Constitutional Court.

A lower court in Ankara sent its decision to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority for further action.

“We are thrilled to be reunited with the people of Turkey,” said Katherine Maher, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation. “At Wikimedia we are committed to protecting everyone’s fundamental right to access information. We are excited to share this important moment with our Turkish contributor community on behalf of knowledge-seekers everywhere.”

The best present we got for Wikipedia's 19th birthday was being unblocked in Turkey. 🇹🇷 (thread) https://t.co/kSVETTU5CO

— Wikipedia (@Wikipedia) January 16, 2020

Wikipedia also claims, “We have received reports that several internet service providers in Turkey, depending on the location, have restored access to Wikipedia in Turkey, with some still in the process of restoring access. We will keep this statement updated as further access is restored.”