Censorship in Turkey

Turkey has warned online encyclopedia Wikipedia, blocked by the country's telecommunications watchdog two weeks ago, over what it says is content creating a perception that Turkey is supporting terrorist organizations, Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said on May 11.

Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia on May 9 applied to the Turkish Constitutional Court over a previous ruling to block access to the website in the country, private broadcaster CNN Türk has reported.

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The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) will not ban TV dating shows in Turkey, but it will only let them be aired at times when children do not watch TV, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

The report came after claims that a state of emergency decree published on April 29 had outlawed television dating shows in the country.

Amnesty International's branch in The Netherlands has projected the names of jailed Turkish journalists onto the Turkish embassy building in The Hague, in a move to mark May 3 International Press Freedom Day.

The names of daily Birgün journalist Mahir Kanaat and Ahmet Şık from daily Cumhuriyet were projected, along with a statement demanding their release, at around 10 p.m. on May 2.

Debate over a recently issued state of emergency decree law is continuing, as a Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) member elected from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said the new regulations include "hidden threats" against TV channels and radio broadcasters. 

The future of TV dating shows in Turkey remains under a cloud after a state of emergency decree published on April 29, with the country's television watchdog saying a "study is under way" on the matter. 

"We are having the legal consultancy department conduct a study," RTÜK chair Prof. Dr. İlhan Yerlikaya told daily Hürriyet. 

Turkey's television regulator has fined private broadcasters Star TV and NTV for suggesting that watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on New Year's Eve "is part of Turkish traditions," daily Posta has reported.

Turkey on Saturday blocked all access inside the country to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, an Internet monitoring group said, but it was not clear why the ban had been imposed.

Matchmaking shows are a staple of daytime Turkish TV, but the matrimonial programs might be heading for an unhappy ending as repeated complaints about the shows have elicited promises from officials to meet with an eye to banning them from the airwaves.

Turkey's Supreme Election Board (YSK) will no longer have the power to fine political parties that violate election laws concerning pre-election survey procedures, a decision that drew criticism from opposition parties, which predicts it will lead to an unfair campaign process for the country's upcoming referendum.