Turkey

The Internet is growing fast in Turkey, with an estimated 700,000 people connected from their homes. Other users go online from cybercafés which are opening everywhere, especially in big towns and cities. The state-owned Turkish Telekom, through its subsidiary TTnet, has cornered most of the market, but privately-owned operators are growing without much difficulty. However, before starting out, owners of cybercafés must promise in writing to block all access to sites that promote separatism, Islamic fundamentalism or pornography, and also get permission to open from the police, who have an "electronic brigade" that strengthens surveillance of the Internet and electronic communications. The Ankara police have a special Internet division, as do the country's regions. No national laws refer specifically to the Internet, but the May 2002 law on the National Broadcasting Council (RTÜK) imposed severe restrictions on freedom of expression on the Internet, with webpages requiring approval by the authorities before being posted. Courts tend to treat Internet cases under the country's very repressive media laws. On 6 December 2001, an Istanbul court ordered closure of ideapolitika.com, the website of the political and cultural quarterly Idea Politika, which was being sued. The judge used the press law as a reference. However, the verdict was not applied, since the site is run from France. The magazine's former editor, Erol Ozkoray, was due to appear before the press court on 11 July 2003 for publishing an article on 11 September 2001 called "What's the use of the army?" on the website. He is accused of insulting the army and faces three years in prison. On 12 March 2002, Coskun Ak, coordinator of interactivity at the firm Superonline, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for "insulting and making fun of the state, the armed forces, the police and the judiciary." He had left on the firm's website in May 1999 an item about human rights violations in southeastern Turkey, which had been posted on the site's forum by a participant. The sentence was commuted to a fine. He was acquitted on 24 April 2003 by the Istanbul assize court, which said there was insufficient evidence he was responsible for the item, which it said contained "serious insults to state institutions." LINKS: - The magazine Idea Politika - The organisation Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties - The European Union