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Court restores Turks' Wikipedia rights in censorship case

The top Turkish court's decision that the three-year ban on Wikipedia violated freedom of expression should have gone into effect after its official publication made it binding on Wednesday, but the website is still inaccessible in Turkey.
ANKARA, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 30: Logo of Wikipedia is seen in Ankara, Turkey on November 30, 2019. (Photo by Ali Balikci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

ISTANBUL — Turkey appeared ready to lift a nearly three-year ban on Wikipedia on Wednesday after its top court ruled the embargo violated freedom of expression, but internet freedom activists warned it was too soon to celebrate as scores of critical websites remain offline.

The government’s Official Gazette published the details of a Dec. 26 ruling by the Constitutional Court on Wednesday, making the judgment binding. Hours after publication, however, the online encyclopedia remained inaccessible.

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