ANKARA, Turkey, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- A bill proposed in Turkey that allows the government to block any website without a court order has drawn criticism from the United Nations.
From Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said his office is concerned the proposed law "may lead to breaches of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression and opinion, and the right to privacy."
The law was adopted by Turkey's parliament last week and Turkish President Abdullah Gul has received a lot of pressure to not sign it.
"The law as it stands appears to be incompatible with Turkey's international human rights obligations, in particular those related to freedom of expression and the right to privacy," Colville said. "We call on the authorities to review laws No. 5651 and 6518 to bring them in line with international human rights standards, in particular the rights to freedom of expression and opinion, and the right to privacy."
