A Turkish court has blocked 82 accounts on the X socil medi platform, including those of Kurdish politicians and journalists, claiming they were spreading propaganda that threatens national security. Those targeted include prominent figures such as Ertuğrul Kürkçü, an honorary president of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), and 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. Yeni Yaşam newspaper, a publication known for its critical stance towards the government, was also blocked.
This comes in the context of increasing online censorship in Turkey, where thousands of websites and social media posts are regularly blocked. A recent report revealed that in 2023 alone, Turkey blocked over 200,000 URLs, often targeting content related to corruption and government misconduct.
The blocking of these accounts is part of a broader trend of tightening control over the media and silencing dissent. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government, new laws have been introduced to criminalise online speech, further restricting the already shrinking space for free expression in the country.
This follows Turkey’s recent drone strike in Iraqi Kurdistan, which killed two Kurdish journalists. The attack has been widely condemned both within Turkey and internationally, shedding light on Turkey’s increasingly harsh measures against press freedom, which are now even extend to extrajudicial killings.
