A Turkish court has blocked 82 accounts on the X social media platform, including those of Kurdish politicians and journalists, for spreading propaganda that threatens national security. The accounts include prominent figures such as Ertugrul Kırkücı, honorary president of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), as well as several well-known journalists.
The Gümüşhane Criminal Court of Peace justified the move by stating that the accounts were involved in activities that could harm Turkey’s national security and public order. The Yeni Yaşam newspaper, known for its critical stance against the government, was also blocked.
This comes amid a climate of increased online censorship in Turkey, where thousands of websites and social media posts are routinely blocked. A recent report found that Turkey blocked more than 200,000 URLs in 2023 alone, many of which targeted content related to corruption and government misconduct.
The blocking of these accounts is part of a broader trend to tighten control over the media and silence dissent. New laws criminalizing online speech have been introduced under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, further restricting an already shrinking space for freedom of expression in the country.
This follows Turkey’s recent drone strike in Iraqi Kurdistan that left two Kurdish journalists dead. The attack was widely condemned both in Turkey and internationally and highlighted Turkey’s increasingly tough stance on press freedom, now resorting to extrajudicial killings.