Ankara: The Turkish Broadcasting Authority (RTUK) has blocked the websites of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) and US-based radio broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) for broadcasting without license.
“Late on Thursday evening, the Internet services of German international broadcaster DW were blocked in all 32 program languages. Simultaneously with the blocking of the editorial websites of DW, the websites of international broadcaster VOA (Voice Of America) were blocked as well,” DW said in a press release.
According to the statement, RTUK had requested DW and other international broadcasters to obtain a license in Turkey back in February. DW said it refused to apply, citing censorship concerns on behalf of the Turkish regulator.
“We had outlined in an extensive correspondence and even in a personal conversation with the chairman of the media control authority why DW could not apply for such a license. For example, media licensed in Turkey are required to delete online content that RTÜK interprets as inappropriate. This is simply unacceptable for an independent broadcaster,” DW Director General Peter Limbourg said.
Limbourg added that DW would pursue legal action against the blocking.
Turkey bans access to Deutsche Welle, Voice of America over license issue
