Turkey blocks 419 accounts, courts authorize 80 arrests — Balkan Insight
A court in Istanbul ordered access to 419 social media accounts and links blocked after Turkish authorities described them as containing “obscene content.” The decision was made amid a broader campaign against LGBTQ+ groups that has also affected journalists, media outlets and civil society organizations.
Blocking accounts
As Balkan Insight reports, the state-run Anadolu agency said that Istanbul police, coordinated by the cybercrime investigation bureau, conducted a study. According to the agency, its goal was to protect families, children and young people from all forms of abuse.
Among the blocked pages are accounts belonging to journalists, activists, media outlets and women’s civil society organizations. Authorities did not specify which content they considered obscene. Platform X made unavailable in Turkey the account of journalist Şirin Payzın, who has 1.8 million followers.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Arrests after police operation
During the night into Wednesday and on Thursday morning, courts authorized at least 80 arrests of LGBTQ+ rights activists, their supporters and journalists. At the same time, 106 people previously detained during a protest against the operation in Istanbul were released.
Raids, detentions and internet restrictions also affected independent journalists and human rights organizations that reported on police actions. LGBTQ+ and human rights groups believe the operations target freedom of speech, freedom of association and human rights work. Turkish authorities insist that the investigations are being conducted within the framework of criminal law.
Human rights expert’s assessment
Gürkan Özturan, a monitoring specialist at the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, told the outlet that, in his view, the actions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government criminalize both identity and the dissemination of information.
