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After the withdrawal of the broadcasting license in Russia, Deutsche Welle is now threatened with trouble in Turkey.
Turkey's Broadcasting Inspectorate (RTÜK) has given three international media houses a 72-hour deadline to obtain operating licenses for their Turkish-language websites, RTÜK board member Ilhan Tasci tweeted on Wednesday.
Otherwise, Deutsche Welle, Voice of America and Euronews will be blocked from accessing their platforms.
The regulatory body decided this with a majority of the votes of the nine RTÜK board members.
This applies to the websites dw.com/tr, amerikaninsesi.com and tr.euronews.com.
A spokesman for Deutsche Welle said it was not possible to comment on this for the time being.
Because there is no official information from the RTÜK on the facts so far.
Tasci, who is also an opposition MP, criticized the Supreme Radio and Television Council's move as another attack on media freedom in Turkey.
The RTÜK board, which is dominated by the ruling AKP party, was initially unable to give a reason for the action.
Turkey has tightened media scrutiny in recent years, giving RTÜK sweeping oversight of all online content, which it can also remove.
About 90 percent of the major media houses in Turkey are now state-owned or closely related to the government.
Deutsche Welle is an institution under public law and belongs to ARD.
Last week, the government in Moscow canceled Deutsche Welle's broadcasting license for Russia.
This is seen as a retaliation for the fact that the Commission for Licensing and Supervision (ZAK) of the media authorities banned the distribution of the Russian television station RT DE in Germany at the beginning of February.
According to the German authorities, RT DE does not have a media license.
The broadcasting council of Deutsche Welle announced that it would not simply accept the closure of the offices in Russia.
skr/Reuters