Wikipedia To Fight Turkey Ban in European Human Rights Court

Wikmedia, the foundation that runs Wikipedia said Thursday it had filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights to lift Turkey's two-year block on the online encyclopedia. From a report: Wikipedia said the ban violates fundamental freedoms, including the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed under the European Convention. The application, which was announced today during a press call, comes after Wikipedia's 'continued and exhaustive' attempts to overturn the ban in Turkish courts failed to bear fruit. 'Wikipedia is a global resource that everyone can be actively part of shaping,' said Katherine Maher, Wikimedia executive director. 'It is through this collective process of writing and rewriting and debate that Wikipedia becomes more useful, more comprehensive, and more representative. It is also through this process that we, a global society, establish a more comprehensive consensus on how we see the world.' Turkey rolled out a blanket ban on Wikipedia citing national security concerns, in a move that has been widely condemned as a crackdown on free speech.

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