Court Rules Against State Agency for Not Lifting Ban on Imgur

Photo: Imgur

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Ankara 11th Administrative Court has ruled that Turkey Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency's decision for the continuation of the access ban on imgur.com without an up-to-date review was not lawful.

Imgur, an online image sharing site, had applied to the agency for the lift of the ban and filed a lawsuit after it rejected the application. A court on January 22 ruled for the suspension of the execution of the access ban.

In its decision, the administrative court cited the Constitution'S article 26 on "Freedom of expression and dissemination of thought" and article 28 on "Freedom of the Press."

The court also mentioned a loophole in the Law No. 5651 on the Internet, stating that what would be done in case the content subject to the ban order is removed is not regulated by the law. It said the agency should review the banned site and notify the Access Providers Union about its review.

It also stated that the ban order should be removed after the content was removed. (HA/VK)