Turkey Blocks Access to Independent News Outlet T24 Amid Broader Crackdown on Media

Turkish authorities have blocked access to the independent news portal T24 and suspended its X account, which reached approximately two million followers, according to data from the internet censorship monitoring initiative Engelliweb.

Official Justifications and Ministry Claims

The Turkish Ministry of Justice announced that the news portal engaged in what it termed “LGBT propaganda.” Operating under an initiative designated as “My Family is Safe,” authorities asserted that the website and its associated social media accounts published 118 pieces of content deemed objectionable over the preceding year. T24, which remained temporarily accessible before the full block took effect, published the government’s statement on its platform while noting that management had received no prior official notification regarding the restriction.

Gökcer Tahincioglu, coordinator of the editorial board at T24, responded on X by characterizing the blockade as the direct outcome of an orchestrated defamation campaign directed against the media organization. The site, founded in 2009, has long operated as a major independent voice within Turkey's heavily restricted media environment.

Political Reactions and Opposition Condemnation

The action against T24 drew swift criticism from domestic political figures. Özgür Özel, leader of the opposition party Yeni Parti, condemned the measure on X, pointing directly to constitutional protections. “In a country, in whose constitution it is written: ‘The press is free and cannot be censored,’ the door is closed for a media enterprise that supplies millions of people with news, through a decision of the criminal court for null reasons,” Özel wrote, demanding an immediate reversal of the ban.

The restriction coincided with a high-profile diplomatic visit to Turkey by Hendrik Wüst, Minister President of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. During his three-day trip, which concluded in Istanbul, Wüst met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and various cabinet ministers while also explicitly carving out time to meet with opposition representatives and members of civil society. Wüst emphasized in statements to reporters that engaging directly with the under-pressure opposition forms an essential component of diplomatic representation.

Wider Restrictions on Social Media Accounts

In the weeks preceding the portal’s block, authorities initiated widespread curbs on X accounts, beginning in tandem with the “My Family is Safe” operation that involved raids on LGBTQ associations and the detention of activists whom prosecutors accused of obscenity. Subsequent waves of account suspensions targeted journalists and financial analysts who published commentary regarding a recent stock market scandal in Turkey. Engelliweb data confirmed that at least 147 X accounts were blocked on a single Wednesday alone.

Reporters Without Borders places Turkey 163rd out of 180 nations in its annual Press Freedom Index.