Turkey Lifts Block on Access to YouTube After Last Week's Verdict

Turkey's telecoms regulator on Tuesday removed from its website an official order blocking access to YouTube after the country's top court ruled last week the ban imposed by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government was a breach of rights.

The video-sharing web site will be accessible in Turkey later on Tuesday, an official at the prime minister's office told Reuters.

Blocks on access to YouTube and Twitter were imposed after audio recordings, purportedly revealing corruption in Erdogan's inner circle, were leaked on the sites. The block on access to Twitter was lifted in April.

Popular video-sharing site YouTube remained blocked in Turkey on Sunday despite the country's top court ruling that the blanket ban contravened the right to free speech.

Turkey's constitutional court ruled Thursday that the ban on YouTube violated individual rights and freedoms, clearing the way for access to the service to be revived following a two-month ban.

Transportation Minister Lutfi Elvan, who is also in charge of communications, said the court decision had not yet reached the relevant government agencies.

"What is needed will be done after the decision reaches" the country's telecommunications authority, he was quoted as telling local media on Sunday.

A government official said last week that access to YouTube would be restored once government agencies were informed of the court verdict.

YouTube has been banned in Turkey since March 27 after the site was used to leak a top-secret security meeting, which featured top government, military and intelligence officials discussing war scenarios inside neighbouring Syria.

Written with agency inputs