Human Rights Groups Demand Turkey Halt Widespread Online Blocking and Press Censorship

A broad alliance of twenty-one international and Turkish NGOs, among them ARTICLE 19, Human Rights Watch and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, issued a joint appeal urging the Turkish government to cease its use of blocking orders that infringe on freedom of expression. Citing IFOD data, the statement notes that in recent weeks Turkish authorities ordered the restriction of at least 1,270 X accounts, affecting an audience of about 35 million, including journalists, academics, LGBTQ+ groups and independent media several outlets.

The coalition also calls on social-media platforms to stop complying with such orders and to uphold their human-rights responsibilities. It highlights that most bans rely on Article 8/A of Turkey’s Internet Law and warns that recent changes transferring blocking authority to the Presidency-linked Cybersecurity Directorate could further centralise censorship. The groups criticize X and Meta for failing to provide public explanations of their actions. The appeal arrives amid heightened pressure on journalists investigating a senior-officials investment-fund scandal, with several reporters recently arrested or placed under house arrest.