OSCE: Turkey "blocking 3,700 websites"

Europe's main security and human rights watchdog accused Monday Turkey of blocking some 3,700 Internet sites for "arbitrary and political reasons".

Milos Haraszti, media freedom monitor for the 56-nation Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said Turkey's Internet law was "failing to preserve free expression in the country and should be reformed or abolished."

"In its current form, Law 5651, commonly known as the Internet Law of Turkey, not only limits freedom of expression, but severely restricts citizens' right to access information," Haraszti said in a statement.

He said Turkey, a European Union candidate, was barring access to 3,700 Internet sites, including YouTube, GeoCities and some Google pages, because Ankara's Internet law was too broad and subject to political interests.

/World Bulletin/