backtop

Internet Turkey Bans YouTube, Again
Chris Peredun - January 21, 2008 2:52 PM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 53 comment(s) - last by wordsworm.. on Jan 24 at 11:11 PM
Deja vu all over again

In what is becoming a bit of a recurring event, YouTube has once again found itself banned from Turkey for having clips available that insult the first president and founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

After a ban in March of 2007, Turkish citizens were once again free to peruse YouTube's collection of poorly-rendered karaoke footage and clips of bodily harm. A court ruling in September threatened to re-enact the ban, but it was never enforced -- and the most recent ruling passed on January 17th resulted in the current blockade.

"Insulting Turkishness" is a criminal act in Turkey, and even being able to view the objectionable video was deemed enough to warrant a ban on the entire site. The supposed clip in question compares Ataturk with a monkey, and attempting to browse to the YouTube homepage from anywhere within Turkey results in an error stating "Access to this web site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2008/55 of T.R. Ankara 12th Criminal Court of Peace."

At least 65 people -- including many journalists and writers -- have been charged with "insulting Turkishness" since the introduction of the law in June of 2005. The law calls for a sentence of between six months and three years in prison for "anyone who openly denigrates the government, judicial institutions or military or police structures" -- or even mentioning past transgressions of the nation, such as the Armenian massacres or Kurdish questioning.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
And this is why they'll never get in the EU
By Muirgheasa on 1/21/2008 4:18:40 PM , Rating: 4
Perhaps we should never say never, but this kind of oppression of freedoms will never cut it with the EU (Turkey has an open application to join the EU). That and all the other unfair imprisonment, oppression of women etc.




RE: And this is why they'll never get in the EU
By BZDTemp on 1/21/08, Rating: -1
By NullSubroutine on 1/21/2008 5:52:39 PM , Rating: 2
Either you dont have to be in Europe to be in the EU or I didnt realize the US was in Europe. If it is the latter, man my grade school teachers really screwed with my head.


By Spuke on 1/21/2008 7:11:24 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
With that reasoning the US would not be allowed into the EU either :-)

1. LOL!!
2. The US is not part of the EU.


RE: And this is why they'll never get in the EU
By winterspan on 1/22/2008 10:35:50 PM , Rating: 2
I love how this guy's quote gets downrated and placed in red from some idiot that is behaving in the same way Turkey is.
Everything he mentioned is FACT. the United States would absolutely NOT be let in to the EU if we happened to be on the continent.
Because of neo-conservatism, fear-mongering, and cowardly, apathetic, and ignorant republican "Middle America", It's become a very sad time in the history of our great country.
If only the "patriots" had more historical perspective and constitutional awareness, would the chest beating stop and only then could this country start to heal itself....


By B3an on 1/23/2008 3:36:18 AM , Rating: 2
You are indeed a rare breed. An american who isn't down rating anything remotely bad said about his country (no matter how true it is) and mouthing off about how great his country (apparently) is.

It's all true, and your post has already been down rated too, and probably this one will be. If the vast majority of americans dont wake up like yourself your country will not improve.


By sh3rules on 1/22/2008 9:31:54 AM , Rating: 2
I agree, Turkey will never be in the EU, especially if the matter is left in the hands of European voters. Turks are in disagreement with current European standards (women’s rights, freedom of speech, etc.) and as long as they remain in their Muslim mentality they’ll never make it in the EU.


Banned from Turkey
By BladeVenom on 1/21/2008 3:15:48 PM , Rating: 5
What a bunch of tards.

Now this site will be banned in Turkey.




By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 1/21/2008 5:36:26 PM , Rating: 4
Proudly :)


What is free speech?
By RogueLegend on 1/21/2008 5:38:24 PM , Rating: 2
While I don't agree with the type of punishment for what is labelled a "crime" in Turkey, you have to wonder at what point is this justified?

In the US, we seem to debate regularly about flag burning and whether or not being against a war your country is fighting also means being a traitor, or even a terrorist. While criticism is one thing, how many Americans would equate George Washington with a monkey; how many would find that funny, and is that an appropriate form of satire and an appropriate use of free speech?

Blocking you tube and imposing those kinds of punishments definitely don't fit the "crime" of critiquing the government, and they do nothing to change the fact that some idiot made a bad joke about a monkey and the founder of their country.

Point being, I think someone should institute universal laws of reasonableness. The only problem is who do you trust with that?




RE: What is free speech?
By theapparition on 1/21/2008 11:35:04 PM , Rating: 4
Funny you should mention George Washington. I believe one of the core examples used by the Supreme Court on the rule of Satire was an very unflattering cartoon of the father of our country, which was contemporary at the time.

Once the government starts banning protests it doesn't like, where does it end?


No surprise really...
By Das Capitolin on 1/21/2008 3:20:17 PM , Rating: 4
This doesn't come as a surprise, since they still charge anyone who mentions their genocide of Amenians with a crime.




Banning Pages
By DBZLuisD on 1/21/2008 3:19:38 PM , Rating: 2
If they ban youtube because some users upload that kind of content then they could ban ALL search engines because you could find pages that "insult Turkishness".
Then why they just don't allow Internet access like in Cuba, or only to a few nationalist and goverment pages (like in Cuba).
I know that's repression and all of that, but common, banning youtube is not going to stop people from finding videos "insulting Turkishness" if they want to find them.
The real reason because they ban youtube is because it's a popular page.




RE: Banning Pages
By Christopher1 on 1/21/08, Rating: 0
RE: Banning Pages
By HighWing on 1/22/2008 2:04:39 PM , Rating: 1
plus what strikes me as silly is that a lot of stuff on youtube is mirrored on google video, myspace video, yahoo video, etc. etc. etc. and I don't hear any of those sites being banned?


The law was initiated in 1982
By fromturkey on 1/21/2008 4:24:07 PM , Rating: 2
The law which caused this block (Article 301) has been initiated in 1982 together with the contemporaty constitution of Turkey after the military action of 1980. Since then many intellectuals have been punished. There have been attempts to reissue this article recently. Noone in Turkey likes this block which has been issued by some idiots. Unfortunately there are lots of these idiots in TUrkey and they are in strong positions.




By xphile on 1/22/2008 2:42:04 AM , Rating: 2
If you follow the link in the article to the last drama on this subject you'll see I posted on all this idiocy back then. My views haven't changed.

If Turkey want to isolate themselves via their beliefs from the reality that is a free world via the internet then so be it - YouTube should not allow them access to such free speech when it is obviously just opening themselves up to ridicule, harassment and ongoing drama; they should simply block Turkish access - problem over: no complaints possible.

They are just being stupid once again, and I think this round it's time for You Tube to call the President. I mean after all as I understand it it is common practice once every year to pardon a Turkey and that would seem to be exactly what is called for here on the same kind of temporal basis...

I mean sweet outcome right - like um Turkish Delight even.




Orly?
By Wagnbat on 1/22/2008 3:04:21 AM , Rating: 2
"Insulting Turkishness" is a crime? Wow.

I was sent to Ankara, Turkey when the president visited. They beefed up civilian security outside of the military perimeter security, because obviously the president was coming in a few days.

No joke, there was a bomb threat and a suspiscious package was found outside our perimeter... And the 'beefed up' security, Turkish Police, decided to kick the package to see if it was a bomb. It was. Bye bye leg. Article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-06-24-turk...

How do you insult that? If your people are silly enough to engage what could be an explosive device with an unprotected appendage...




Sense of humour bypass....
By P4blo on 1/22/2008 8:51:37 AM , Rating: 2
I relation to this Turkey is behaving very similar to the rest of the Muslim world when it comes to their beloved prophet. Bottom line is the more touchy and arsy you get, the more people will poke and tease you. Most people learn this basic lesson at school!

The only way to win is to 'rise above it'. Only then do you remove credibility from the detractors and turn the tables. If you dont you are validating, reacting to and recognising their stupidity.

This is basic and well understood human social skill and doesn't need laws and legislation. I wince when I see this stuff....




By klstay on 1/22/2008 8:55:45 AM , Rating: 2
After all, Turkey is:

A) "Run" by Turks
B) Filled with Turks who seem to be OK with A.




It is not something new
By Stratocaster on 1/23/2008 10:16:42 AM , Rating: 2
Well, as an insider I think this law is totally rubbish and outdated. The good thing is soon with the removal of some videos it will definitely be available in this way or another. As you can see we have some minor problems defininig what "freedom" is. But we have guts to solve this at least some people are stiving to solve this problems.




Insulting Turkisness and Youtube
By kdombaz on 1/23/2008 12:45:52 PM , Rating: 2
OK, it seems crazy to people in europe or US we can have a law like that (insulting Turkisness).

Europeans can not understand the Turkish psyche hence these laws look strange. We don't wear our flag as pants, bras etc. I think we take more pride in our country and nation.

Just to give a little bit of information about Turkey

1. We gave the right to vote and be elected to women long before most of the european countries.
2. We adopted western clothing, alphabet, measurements and calendars in 1923 (unlike many other moslem countries)
3. Our civil laws were based on Swiss civil laws hence European origin
4. Education, politics and laws are separated from religious affairs to ensure that religion can not have any influence over these areas of life.
5. We faught in Korea along with Americans and other European forces.
6. We are a founder member of Nato.
7. We have second biggest army in Nato and we were the buffer zone for Europe threat from USSR. Cold war games were played the heaviest in Turkey and nearly caused a civil war between different fractions. As a result we had 3 military juntas 3 different decades only to return to democracy in due course.
8. We invaded Cypress and exercised our right as a guarantor for the Turkish minority. As a result military junta in Greece collapsed and Greece return to democracy and re-joined Nato.
9. Turkey signed the Rome agreement in 1960 to create and join the European Union (btw it was an economic union not a political one as it is now).
10. We are the only prodominantly moslem country which does not have a king, sheek, sultan or khaleef. Elected members of the parliment pass the laws (within the constitution) which governs the country and it's people.

If you put all that into contexts yes I am proud to be Turkish and Ataturk's incredible achievements for my country.

As far as banning the site (Youtube), no need to ban it, just don't look at the crap that'll be enough.

A little long winded but there you are.

Thanks

Trained_Killa

PS. In France you will go to jail if you refuse to accept that the Armenian genoside happened (that's freedom of thought eh!!!)
In the US there is Patriot Law which allows authorities to bug your phone, check your emails and you can go to Guantanamo Bay with no trial or evidence.
Thats's what I call sensible laws.




What I think
By themengsk176 on 1/21/2008 10:10:12 PM , Rating: 1
What should be reasonable is whatever we want to say, as long as what we say causes no harm to anyone else.

And that should be it. Many Americans hold George Washington in very high regard, and rightly so, but he was only a man.

He should not be so sacred and immaculate so as to be above discussion or even criticism, no matter how much we may disagree.

And with regards to Turkey, I think they are really shooting themselves in the foot with this. As long as they have these ridiculous laws that make criticism of certain people and government officials, they are proving that they aren't ready to fit in with first world, western society.