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Turkish Assembly Votes For Censoring of Web Sites

Posted by Zonk on from the we're-actually-really-nice-out-here-guys dept.

unity100 writes "CNN has some news about a recent development in Turkey where the Turkish assembly, totally out of line with Turkey's commitment to EU membership, has voted to have sites that 'insult to the founder of modern Turkey' censored from entire Turkish population. This, just about a month after the decision to censor YouTube was reached by the Turkish courts. 'On Thursday, lawmakers in the commission also debated whether the proposal should be widened to allow the Turkish Telecommunications Board to block access to any sites that question the principles of the Turkish secular system or the unity of the Turkish state -- a reference to Web sites with information on Kurdish rebels in Turkey.'"

2 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. Censorship works, and speaking of Holocausts... by Brian+Stretch · · Score: 5, Informative

    Armenian genocide

    The Turkish government really, really doesn't want to talk about this. Bring it up too forcefully in Turkey and it can get you killed. So the subject is censored in Turkey, effectively enough that most of today's generation of Turks just can't believe that their great grandparents could have done anything so vile. I'd imagine that today's generation of Germans would have the same reaction if Germany hadn't been forced to face up to what the National Socialist German Workers Party did.

    PBS did a pretty impressive special on the subject, available on DVD.

    So... it's likely that the Turkish government will keep on censoring away. It's not like anyone's going to do anything effective about it. Sure, eventually they'll figure out that censoring the 'net is a fool's errand, but they'll kick that can down the road as long as they can. And even then, will enough Turkish citizens care enough to look?

  2. none of our business by keeboo · · Score: 4, Informative

    For some reason I think the majority screwing over the minority and abusing their human rights isn't something that should be tolerated, much less respected.

    Well (and that's an example, no country is a saint in this matter), the USA have been preaching on freedom and human rights for decades. It didn't prevent them to install and maintain bloody dictatorships in South America. And that, way before the USA "turned evil" and bashing the US became an olympic sport.

    I do not think we (well, the West) have any right at all to interfere in Turkey or any other country.
    Personally I don't think Turkey belongs to EU, and that's a matter for EU and Turkey, and no one else.
    The rest, the internal Turkey matters as long as they stay out of EU, are their business and we have no right to mess with.