Turkish court blocks VOA Turkish over licensing issue

A Turkish court blocked access to the Voice of America’s Turkish service due to a missing broadcasting license, raising concerns about freedom of expression in Turkey.

A Turkish court has approved a request from the Turkish broadcasting watchdog to block access to the Voice of America (VOA) Turkish service due to a lack of broadcasting license, further intensifying concerns regarding freedom of expression in the country.

The Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) has requested a block on the access to the Voice of America (VOA) Turkish service for failing to secure a broadcast license.

The news was announced through a social media post by the Freedom of Expression Association. The statement read, “Upon the request of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK), the Ankara 9th Peace Criminal Judgeship decided to block access to VOA Turkish for providing broadcasting services over the internet without obtaining a broadcast license.”

Last year, RTUK had imposed an access restriction on the domain “amerikaninsesi.com”, used by VOA Turkish, and had given them a 72-hour window to apply for a license on Monday.

Gercek News