X has blocked access in Turkey to the account of major pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV one week after authorities seized control of the channel, the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD) reported.
The platform enforced an Oct 14 access restriction order today, Oct 21, under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651. Halk TV had changed its X username from @halktvcomtr to @halktveu in an effort to circumvent the ban on the account with over three million followers. While this method sometimes works, it didn't work in this case.
The reason for the restriction remains unclear.
X uses country-specific restrictions to block access to accounts within a particular country rather than removing them entirely from the platform. The company applies these measures in response to legal demands.
State takeover of Halk TV
The restriction order followed a police raid on Halk TV's İstanbul headquarters on Oct 14, when the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) took control of the broadcaster as part of an investigation into the channel's owner, Cafer Mahiroğlu, who is facing allegations of "bribery," "bid rigging" and "laundering proceeds of crime."
The trustees rejected a request from the channel's management to continue broadcasting live and took the channel off air.
On the same day, restriction orders were issued targeting Halk TV's accounts on YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Telegram.
Halk TV became the tenth TV outlet taken over by the government since March last year.
Government seizes control of 10 TV channels in less than two years
Wave of online censorship
According to İFÖD data, administrative authorities and courts ordered restrictions on at least 1,270 X accounts in September citing Article 8/A of Law No. 5651.
X complied with over 90 percent of those orders by making the affected accounts inaccessible to users in Turkey.
Over the past two months, thousands of social media accounts belonging to newspapers, journalists, academics, rights defenders, nongovernmental organizations, NGO representatives and other individuals have faced censorship.
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(HA/VK)