ANKARA, Turkey �� The Turkish government agency in charge of internet technologies blocked access to Wikipedia Saturday without explaining why.
The ban was imposed after "technical analysis and legal consideration," the Information and Communication Technologies Authority said, without citing any violation of Turkish law. The agency didn't respond to calls placed outside regular business hours.
Internet users early Saturday began reporting problems trying to reach the site, the online encyclopedia that provides free access and lets users edit its content. The blocking of Wikipedia coincides with mounting Western criticism of an erosion of basic liberties in Turkey. A Council of Europe body, the parliamentary assembly, put Turkey on its watch list this month, saying a crackdown on government opponents compromised human rights and the rule of law.
"The government can't get enough of censorship," said lawmaker Baris Yarkadas of the largest opposition party, CHP, a member of a party board that monitors political pressure on the media. "This time the victim is Wikipedia. If there was a slander, lie or a pornographic content, this could have been removed via dialog with the website management."
The government has blocked access to popular websites such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook in the past, offering justifications such as terrorist propaganda or insults against Turkish political figures.
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(Cagan Koc and Firat Kozok contributed to this report.)
