The pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya Agency’s (MA) X account was blocked in Turkey amid an ongoing wave of acess bans targeting independent news outlets, journalists and rights groups since last month.
The agency’s account, @mezopotamyatrk3, was restricted following a request from the Cybersecurity Directorate, X said in an email to MA.
According to the notification, the restriction was imposed on national security and public order grounds under Article 8/A of Turkey’s Internet Law No. 5651, a provision frequently used to block online content.
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Following the restriction, MA announced that it would continue publishing news and other content through a new X account, @mezopotamyatrk4.
Media outlets typically change domain names and usernames on social media platforms to circumvent access bans. MA, which frequently faces censorship, currently continues publication on mezopotamyaajansi45.com, indicating that its previous 44 web addresses have been blocked.
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More than 1,270 accounts blocked in September
The restriction comes amid a series of access bans imposed since last month.
According to data from the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), a group monitoring online censorship, at least 1,270 X accounts were subject to access restrictions in September alone.
X has complied with around 90 percent of restriction orders from turkish authorities, according to the association.
The affected accounts had a combined following of more than 35 million.
The wave fo online crackdown began on Sep 12 when authorities imposed access restrictions on account of LGBTI+ organizations and activists.
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(HA/VK)