Turkish citizens can once again access the Internet’s plethora of cat videos thanks to a court ruling on Friday that eliminated a three-year YouTube ban. In 2007, YouTube was banned when disparaging remarks were made on the service about the country’s revered founder of state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The ruling arrives just as Turkey finds itself in the midst of important debate regarding reform of its stifling “Internet Law.”
Opponents of the law, like current Turkish president Abdullah Gul and OSCE Media freedom rep Dunja Mijatovic, want it changed so that citizens can become a “part of today’s global information society.”
More than 30 Google sites have also been banned over the past three years, mostly due to “national dignity” issues that disparage Atataturk. [Yahoo News]
