MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Access block to VOA Türkçe
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
VOA Türkçe
CITY
İstanbul
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2022
LAST UPDATED
30/06/2022
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Political
MEDIUM
Internet
Internet News Portal
THE TITLE OF WHOSE RIGHT IS INTERFERED
Media Outlet
RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Right to Impart Information and Ideas
TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
Judicial Interference
Criminal Peace Judgeships
Decision to block access
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
The Law on the Establishment of Radio and Television Enterprises and Their Media Services

On the grounds that they did not apply to the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) for a license about their video news, an access block has been imposed on the websites of Voice of America (VOA) Türkçe and Deutsche Welle (DW) Türkçe.

Upon a decision given by a majority of votes by the RTÜK members from the ruling AKP and MHP on February 9, 2022, the RTÜK appealed to court, demanding that an access block be imposed on VOA Türkçe and DW Türkçe on the grounds that they did not make an application for a license about their video news. 

Following this application, the Ankara 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace, in a decision numbered 2022/7892 and dated June 30, 2022, ruled that an access block should be imposed on the related news websites. This decision has been put into effect by the Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK). That being the case, the websites of VOA Türkçe and DW Türkçe cannot be accessed from Turkey (June 30).