Turkish court orders X to block law professor's anti-censorship account

A court in Turkey ordered X to block the account of law professor Yaman Akdeniz, who co-founded the Freedom of Expression Association that monitors online censorship. The restriction was applied under Article 8/A of Internet Law No. 5651, which permits blocks for reasons such as national security and public order. Akdeniz told bianet he has not received the court’s ruling, leaving him unable to seek legal recourse.

He noted that the platform acted quickly to hide his account, despite the lack of notification. This action is part of a broader pattern of recent bans on social media accounts of journalists, rights groups and LGBTI+ organisations, including Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation, Lambdaistanbul and SPoD. Other entities such as Evrensel newspaper, Amnesty International Turkey, Academics for Peace and the Media and Law Studies Association have faced comparable restrictions.