Turkey blocks X accounts of LGBTQ activists at authorities' request
Turkish authorities have requested the blocking of more than a dozen X accounts linked to LGBTQ organisations, according to a media watchdog. The accounts were reported to be inaccessible in Turkey without a virtual private network, limiting access for users inside the country. Among those affected are the account of the Kaos GL rights organisation and that of lawyer Levent Piskin.
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The watchdog said the blocks were carried out at the request of authorities promoting traditional family values. The accounts were followed by tens of thousands of people, indicating a broad reach before access was restricted. The move adds to a pattern of online restrictions affecting civil society groups and activists in Turkey.
The development is significant because it affects digital expression and access to advocacy content for Turkey's LGBTQ community. It also comes amid a wider record of platform restrictions in the country, where authorities have previously sought the removal or blocking of accounts they consider critical. In June, some 40 X accounts linked to feminist or LGBTQ groups were blocked, and last year more than 700 accounts critical of the authorities were restricted during protests triggered by the arrest of Istanbul's opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
Turkey's LGBTQ community has often faced pressure from officials, and the latest blocking request fits into that broader context. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously described the community in hostile terms, according to the supplied report. The current case shows how online moderation and state pressure can intersect to limit the visibility of rights groups and legal advocates.
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It is not clear how many accounts were affected in total beyond the description of more than a dozen, or whether the blocks will be challenged. It also remains unclear how long the restrictions will stay in place and whether X will respond further to the request. What to watch next is whether additional LGBTQ-related accounts are targeted or whether the decision prompts a wider debate over platform access and free expression in Turkey.
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