Turkey Blocks Sputnik Website, Moscow Says Blocking Unlawful

MOSCOW- The Russian Sputnik website was blocked in Turkey on Thursday evening within the framework of the Turkish authorities’ crackdown on freedom of press. The Turkish Telecommunications Department claimed the blocking was due to “administrative measures,” according to Sputnik news.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the Turkish decision to ban Sputnik News website is unlawful.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also noted that Turkey’s motives to block the website are ‘unclear and unconvincing.’

Sputnik Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said that such a decision was a ‘sign of censorship’ in Turkey.

 Commenting on this procedure, Turkish political expert Tekin Okay told Sputnik Turkiye that Turkey’s crackdown on press freedom signals that democracy in the country is failing, and other fundamental liberties and civil rights are also at risk of being taken away.

 “In any democratic country press freedom is seen as a fundamental and indispensable element of civil rights and freedoms. The country which observes press freedom, observes any other human right and liberty and vice versa, one shouldn’t expect a country which deprive its residents of freedom of press, to observe other rights and liberties of its people,” Tekin Okay told Sputnik Turkiye.

His comments come in regards to the recent blocking of  Russia’s Sputnik news agency site in Turkey due to what is called some “administrative measures” of the Turkish Telecommunications Department.

The political expert said that freedom of press has in fact two aspects.

“The first is a right of a journalist to cover events, topics or situations which are of interest to the public. The journalists can’t be censured or forced to reveal their sources of information. The mass media can’t be pressured for executing this right.”

Besides, he added, freedom for journalists to perform their professional duty is needed for a society to be aware of what is happening about them. Access to information on the life and events within a society is a natural right of its citizens.

“The second aspect is the right of the mass media to freely comment on the ongoing events in their country. The reporters and journalists should have a right comment on the events and facts freely, and, first and foremost, on the activity of the government bodies and structures, based on their own views, opinions and accumulated professional experience,” said Tekin Okay.

In January 2015, the Turkish prime minister and other ministers received the right to block any type of resource in the Internet without a court order. The ministers may demand the Turkish Telecommunications Department and providers to block sites or delete content within four hours after receiving a notice of “national security, protection of social order, or for the prevention of crime.”

According to the Turkish Telecommunications department, final decision will be made by the Turkish Court.

On March 2014, the Turkish authorities blocked twitter and You Tube websites for their role in broadcasting audio recordings uncovering the  involvement of Turkish President Erdogan and some of his relatives in a corruption scandal.

H.M