A Turkish court has lifted an access ban imposed on Ekşi Sözlük, one of the country’s most popular social media websites, a journalist has announced.
Turkey’s Telecommunications watchdog BTK said the site — where users can anonymously post and discuss messages on any subject — was blocked on Feb. 21 , with no reason given.
Journalist İsmail Saymaz from Halk TV announced on Twitter on Thursday that an Ankara court had accepted an objection to the access ban filed by a lawyer representing Ekşi Sözlük. Saymaz also posted photos of the court decision reversing the ban.
Ekşisözlük hakkındaki erişim yasağını kaldıran mahkeme kararı pic.twitter.com/oiERfY38Gy
— İsmail Saymaz (@ismailsaymaz) March 2, 2023
This was not the first time the government has blocked access to popular social media platforms. Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have all been subject to restrictions. Most recently, Twitter was blocked in the wake of devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes after the government criticized disinformation on the platform.