Ekşi Sözlük, one of the largest online communities in Turkey with over 400,000 registered users has been shut down once again due to content shared by users following the loss of twelve soldiers in the region of the ongoing Operation Claw-Lock by the Turkish Armed Forces in Northern Iraq.
The site had again faced censorship five times after the February 6 earthquakes.
The Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) blocked the address eksisozluk1999.com, where Ekşi Sözlük continued to publish despite censorship, citing reasons related to national security and public order.
In a post regarding the issue, Ekşi Sözlük mentioned, "We have seen that there is a decision regarding access blocking, but we are not informed about the details. We are trying to get information from the authorities, and we will share as we receive information."
Additionally, the site management has opened access to https://eksisozluk111.com.
Censorship following the earthquake
Following the February 6 earthquakes in Maraş, Ekşi Sözlük was shut down on February 25, citing 'the protection of national security and public order' as the reason. Upon objection, the blocking decision was lifted by the court. However, a new access ban decision was issued before the site could be reopened.
In response, the dictionary's management began moving the site to other domain names. However, the new domain 'eksisozluk2023.com' was blocked on May 13, 'eksisozluk42.com' on May 15, and 'eksisozluk1923.com' on December 14.
The domain 'http://eksisozluk1999.com,' later opened by the dictionary's management, also faced censorship.
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The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had initiated an investigation into Ekşi Sözlük following the death of 12 soldiers in a clash with the PKK in Hakurk, in the Kurdistan Regional Government region of Iraq. The prosecution had argued that there were "posts containing crimes against martyrs" on the social media platform. (HA/PE)
