Just hours later, roughly 3,900 officials, scholars, clerks, prison guards, and other employees suspected of being anti-government were fired.
The Turkish government has allegedly previously blocked international websites like Facebook and Twitter, often after militant attacks or other unpopular events, but has blamed the “outages” on overload from users seeking information. The government did not immediately claim credit for blocking access to Wikipedia, as such, but the Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministry said access will be restored if Wikipedia removes some content claiming the Turkish government is working with militant groups and issued a statement to the state-run Andalou news agency: “Instead of coordinating against terrorism, [Wikipedia] has become part of an information source which is running a smear campaign against Turkey in the international arena.”
The government did publicly announce the firings, stating that everyone dismissed was suspected of associating with “terrorist organisations and structures presenting a threat to national security” and it has connected recent similar actions to the failed coup in the country last year.
This is the second political purge to take place since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was granted considerable additional powers after the 16 April constitutional referendum.
The Turkish government has banned televised dating shows, too, stating “such programmes in which people are introduced to find a friend[…] cannot be permitted”.
From Wikinews under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 licence
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