Turkey Bans YouTube

A Turkish court banned YouTube on Wednesday after Greek videos on the site insulted Turks—in particular Ataturk, the country's modern founding father—calling them homosexuals. The videos, part of an escalating "virtual war" between Greek and Turkish citizens belittling each other, were deemed an insult to Turkishness, a crime punishable by imprisonment.

Turk Telekom, Turkey's main internet provider and the originator of the court petition, blocked access to the site immediately. Although the ban will be lifted when YouTube removes the offending videos, the move doesn't  enhance Turkey's  record on protecting freedom of expression—which could affect its chances of joining the European Union. (More Turkey stories.)