Turkish Authorities Block X Accounts of LGBT Organizations and Activists

Turkish authorities have restricted access to dozens of accounts belonging to LGBT and feminist human rights organizations on the social network X. As reported by the Argentine publication La Nación, citing human rights defenders, the block affected about 60 pages.

Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) demanded the profiles be blocked based on a law that allows restricting content to protect “national security and public order.” The administration of social network X complied with this demand by restricting access to these pages for users within Turkey in order to align with local legislation. Among those blocked were the accounts of journalists, activists, and major organizations such as Kaos GL and LambdaIstanbul.

A coalition of 22 human rights organizations, including the Turkish branch of Amnesty International, released a joint statement condemning the authorities’ actions. The statement notes that the blocks occurred on the eve of Istanbul Pride Week and limit the ability to receive information about the events. Human rights defenders described the restriction of access as a violation of free speech.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other government officials regularly criticize the LGBT movement, stating the need to protect traditional family values.