Rights Groups Press Turkey to Halt Growing Online Censorship
Twenty-one international and Turkish rights and press freedom organizations, including BIRN, condemned Turkey’s escalating internet censorship. They urged social media companies to stop complying with disproportionate blocking orders and called on Ankara to respect freedom of expression. The groups noted that authorities recently ordered access blocked to at least 1,270 X accounts with 35 million followers, targeting journalists, academics, LGBTQ+ organizations, women’s groups and independent media.
The coalition included ARTICLE 19, Human Rights Watch, the Freedom of Expression Association, IFOD and BIRN. It said September orders affected at least 1,270 X accounts reaching 35 million followers, with X limiting access in Turkey for at least nine in ten requests. Targets reportedly included reporters, scholars, LGBTQ+ and women’s groups, and independent news organisations.
T24’s X account, followed by 1.9 million people, was among those blocked. A court invoked 118 articles about family structure and youth development. The groups also warned that moving blocking authority to a Presidency-linked cybersecurity body may concentrate censorship, and criticized X and Meta for not publicly explaining their responses.
The restrictions may narrow access to independent reporting and diverse voices, affecting journalists, academics, LGBTQ+ and women’s groups, and audiences seeking reliable information. If platforms keep complying, users could face a more fragmented online space, while arrests of reporters may discourage coverage of sensitive investigations. The dispute could also intensify international scrutiny of Turkey’s digital policies, though the practical outcome remains uncertain.