Turkey's Constitutional Court: Twitter ban violates freedom of speech
Since Turkey blocked access to Twitter in late March -- in response to posts about the prime minister's alleged corruption -- there's been plenty of legal back-and-forth, with the ban even being lifted temporarily as judges weighed complaints against the government. Today's news might mean Twitter is back for good: The Constitutional Court ruled that blocking the social-media platform was unconstitutional on the grounds that it violates the right to free speech. Most importantly, the ruling requires Turkey to immediately restore access to Twitter.
According to the Hurriyet Daily News, this ruling may be used as a precedent for similar cases in the future, possibly preventing authorities from imposing widespread bans like this again. It's unclear whether this ruling will also affect the country's ban on YouTube, which is currently in effect. In response to the ruling, Twitter's @Policy account tweeted: "We welcome this Constitutional Court ruling, and hope to have Twitter access restored in Turkey soon."
