YouTube Stays Blocked in Turkey as Court Reverses Itself

 By 
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
 on 
YouTube Stays Blocked in Turkey as Court Reverses Itself
Supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan cheer as he addresses a rally of his Justice and Development Party in Elazig, Turkey, March 6, 2015. Credit: Burhan Ozbilici

The same Turkish court that ruled to lift the ban on YouTube on Friday morning reversed its decision hours later following a petition for appeal, according to multiple local news reports.

The Ankara Gölbaşı Public Prosecutor's Office appealed the ruling, and the Court of Peace accepted the appeal on Friday afternoon. The court ordered the block to continue until YouTube removes 15 videos deemed to be in violation of Turkish laws, according to a tweet by CNN Turk.

After the first ruling, some users reported being able to access YouTube again -- but the block will probably remain in place for now.

The Turkish government blocked YouTube on March 27, after a recording purportedly of a government security meeting discussing military options against Syria was posted on the site.

Twitter, which was blocked on March 20, is now accessible in Turkey after the Constitutional Court ordered the government to unblock it on Wednesday.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the Twitter ruling on Friday.

"I don't have to respect it. I don't respect it," he said, according to the Associated Press adding that, however, he had to comply with it.

The government's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ, on the other hand, initially praised the ruling but later changed his mind and joined Erdoğan in blasting it.

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