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Turkey blocks access to Wikipedia for "smear" content

Xinhua, April 30, 2017 Adjust font size:

The access to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has been blocked because of its content showing Turkey in coordination and aligned with terror groups, Turkish government said on Saturday.

"Instead of coordinating against terrorism, it has become part of an information source which is running a smear campaign against Turkey in the international arena," the Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministry said in a statement.

The Turkish government warned Wikipedia to remove content likening Turkey to terror groups but the site refused, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Ankara also requested Wikipedia to open a representative agency in the country to comply with the international law and pay taxes like other companies operating in the country.

The access ban would be lifted if Wikipedia meets Turkey's demands, according to the ministry.

The access to the Wikipedia site was blocked in Turkey on Saturday morning under a provisional administrative order instead of a court one, but monitoring group says a court order is expected in the coming days. Endit