Twenty-one international and Turkish human rights and press freedom organisations including the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network have issued a joint statement condemning the escalation of internet censorship in Turkey and urging social media companies to stop complying with disproportionate blocking orders.
“We call on the Turkish government immediately to cease the use of blocking orders and other restrictive measures that violate the right to freedom of expression, and to ensure that any restrictions on online content fully comply with Turkey’s obligations under international human rights law,” the organisations said.
The letter also had a message for social media companies which obey Turkish courts and government decisions.
“We urge social media platforms to take meaningful steps immediately to uphold their human rights responsibilities and avoid contributing to the suppression of independent media and violations of the right to freedom of expression,” the organisations said.
The statement, signed by ARTICLE 19, Human Rights Watch, the Freedom of Expression Association, IFOD, BIRN and other organisations, highlighted the scale of restrictions imposed in September.
According to IFOD data, in recent weeks, Turkish authorities ordered access blocked to at least 1,270 X accounts with a combined following of 35 million. X complied with at least 90 per cent of the orders by restricting access within Turkey.
The targeted accounts included journalists, academics, LGBTQ+ organisations, women’s rights groups and independent media outlets.
The organisations highlighted the blocking of independent news website T24, whose X account had 1.9 million followers.
A court cited 118 articles allegedly undermining the Turkish family structure and negatively affecting young people’s development concerning sexual orientation and gender identity.
The signatories said the order failed to explain why blocking the entire website was necessary or proportionate.
Most restrictions were imposed under Article 8/A of Turkey’s Internet Law, which allows authorities to block online content on grounds including national security and public order.
The organisations warned that recent legislative changes transferring blocking powers to the Presidency-linked Cybersecurity Directorate could further centralise censorship.
They criticised X and Meta for failing to explain their responses to blocking orders. “Neither X nor Meta have provided public explanations about their responses to the September-October censorship waves,” the statement said.
The statement comes amid growing pressure on journalists covering Turkey’s investment-fund scandal that involves senior government figures.
On October 10, journalists Mustafa Balci and Saban Sevinc were arrested over allegations of spreading misleading information about the investigation.
Two other journalists, Ismail Saymaz and Murat Agirel, were initially released under judicial control measures but subsequently placed under house arrest following a prosecution appeal.