However, the decision was reversed in December last year by Turkey’s Constitutional Court — the highest court in the country. The court deemed the ban unconstitutional, and ruled that the restriction violated free speech. Local reports say that access to Wikipedia is now being restored across the country, although some users will be able to access the site sooner than others.

In a blog post from Wikimedia — which today celebrates Wikipedia’s 19th birthday — the foundation said that, “We are thrilled that the people of Turkey will once again be able to participate in the largest global conversation about the culture and history of Turkey online and continue to make Wikipedia a vibrant source of information about Turkey and the world.”

This is not the first time Turkey has resorted to banning websites and platforms for allegedly promoting anti-government propaganda. It has previously banned Twitter and YouTube, and has made threats to ban Facebook.

The cooperative has seven directors leading the charge, including ICANN founding chairman Esther Dyson and Wikimedia Foundation CEO Katherine Maher. It’s also supported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which finds the domain’s turnover to a commercial venture “highly inappropriate.”

Together, the directors are hoping they can convince ICANN to block the deal and to hand them control of the .org domain. They’re looking to make sure that the domain is managed securely and that it does not become a tool for censorship. “This (the cooperative) is a better alternative,” Dyson said in a statement. “If you’re owned by private equity, your incentive is to make a profit. Our incentive is to serve and protect nonprofits and the public.”

The deal’s critics are worried that Ethos Capital, a newly formed company, would raise prices, skimp on services and sell users’ data in order to recover the $1 billion it’s paying for .org’s control — especially since the domain is mostly used by nonprofits.

Turkey censored Wikipedia in April 2017, leveraging a law that allows it to ban any website that is deemed a national security threat. Wikimedia, the site’s parent company, swiftly took action, but lost its push to reverse the court’s decision. The community-driven website has remained inaccessible to Turkish citizens ever since.

The ruling was finally reversed by Turkey’s Constitutional Court, which is the country’s highest court. Its decision is a win for both Turkish citizens and Wikipedia itself. The website took a firm stance against censorship, refusing Turkey’s request to remove content that the government found objectionable. It may have taken several years, but the organization came out victorious while sticking to its ideals.