Tags, with “Access blocked” and the name of blocked accounts belonging to journalists and media outlets, LGBT and women’s rights groups, and other rights defenders, are tied to the gates of Turkey’s Constitutional Court, to protest the Turkish authorities’ blocking of hundreds of social media accounts and websites. Ankara, October 7, 2026.
(Istanbul, October 12, 2026) – The Turkish authorities over the last month have substantially escalated internet censorship, Human Rights Watch said today, along with ARTICLE 19, the Freedom of Expression Association, and 18 other organizations. Social media platforms should take meaningful steps immediately to uphold their human rights responsibilities and avoid contributing to suppressing independent media and violating the right to freedom of expression. The Turkish authorities should stop issuing blocking orders to restrict content and accounts on social media and websites in violation of the right to freedom of expression.
The following is the groups’ statement:
ARTICLE 19, Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), Human Rights Watch, and the undersigned human rights and media freedom organisations are deeply concerned by the severe escalation of internet censorship in Türkiye in the past month. We urge social media platforms to take meaningful steps immediately to uphold their human rights responsibilities and avoid contributing to the suppression of independent media and violations of the right to freedom of expression. We call on the Turkish government immediately to cease the use of blocking orders and other restrictive measures that violate the right to freedom of expression, and to ensure that any restrictions on online content fully comply with Türkiye’s obligations under international human rights law.
In the month of September 2026 alone, İFÖD documented Turkish authorities and courts ordering the block
