Firat News Agency banned in Turkey
Firat News Agency banned in Turkey
Ankara 11th Heavy Penal Court banned access to the "org" extension-website of Firat News Agency (ANF).
The website of the agency with “org” extension has been banned for "security" reason. When you go to the page, a note appears saying “The ruling for this web site (firatnews.org) is applied by the Presidency of Telecommunications."
Since its establishment in 2005, ANF has been subjected to constant attacks while on the other side being openly targeted by Turkish government officials, including the Prime Minister. Besides Turkey-based virtual attacks, the agency is also exposed to frequent prohibitions.
While applying these prohibitions on one side, the censorious mentality may also take scandal decisions from time to time. While the address www.firatnews.ws was banned in June on grounds of "pornographic content", ANF’s websites with the extensions of “.com”, “.nu”, “.eu” were also banned earlier without showing any reason.
With a statement on the subject, ANF condemned the prohibition and noted that this was an open attack made on the freedom of the press and expression. ANF stated that “truths are intended to be silenced” in a process when attacks against Kurdish and all opponent circles have increased ever before and added; “The Turkish government now needs to understand that it can not prevent free thought through prohibitions. The AKP government is wrong if it hopes to suppress free media workers by means of arrests, intimidation and bans or to make them its own instruments to propaganda. Despite all prohibitions and threats, ANF is determined to not to leave this information, which belongs to the people, to dictator powers.”
The statement also pointed out to the senselessness of the bans in the present communication technology through which internet users can easily reach banned websites by using a variety of programs or just by doing simple settings.
The website of ANF can also be reached from the websites www.firatnews.ws and www.firatnews.tv.
Turkey is today among the countries with highest levels of censorship on internet. According to OSCE, more than five thousand websites were blocked in two years, 2009-2010, while some other sources say that this number is seven thousand. In respect of internet censorship, Turkey is among the Reporters Without Borders Organization’s list of "countries under surveillance".
The website of the agency with “org” extension has been banned for "security" reason. When you go to the page, a note appears saying “The ruling for this web site (firatnews.org) is applied by the Presidency of Telecommunications."
Since its establishment in 2005, ANF has been subjected to constant attacks while on the other side being openly targeted by Turkish government officials, including the Prime Minister. Besides Turkey-based virtual attacks, the agency is also exposed to frequent prohibitions.
While applying these prohibitions on one side, the censorious mentality may also take scandal decisions from time to time. While the address www.firatnews.ws was banned in June on grounds of "pornographic content", ANF’s websites with the extensions of “.com”, “.nu”, “.eu” were also banned earlier without showing any reason.
With a statement on the subject, ANF condemned the prohibition and noted that this was an open attack made on the freedom of the press and expression. ANF stated that “truths are intended to be silenced” in a process when attacks against Kurdish and all opponent circles have increased ever before and added; “The Turkish government now needs to understand that it can not prevent free thought through prohibitions. The AKP government is wrong if it hopes to suppress free media workers by means of arrests, intimidation and bans or to make them its own instruments to propaganda. Despite all prohibitions and threats, ANF is determined to not to leave this information, which belongs to the people, to dictator powers.”
The statement also pointed out to the senselessness of the bans in the present communication technology through which internet users can easily reach banned websites by using a variety of programs or just by doing simple settings.
The website of ANF can also be reached from the websites www.firatnews.ws and www.firatnews.tv.
Turkey is today among the countries with highest levels of censorship on internet. According to OSCE, more than five thousand websites were blocked in two years, 2009-2010, while some other sources say that this number is seven thousand. In respect of internet censorship, Turkey is among the Reporters Without Borders Organization’s list of "countries under surveillance".
