MLSA and the undersigned press professional organizations and press and freedom of expression organizations are following with concern the mass access blocks imposed on dozens of social media accounts and news websites, including those of news outlets and journalists, as well as arrests carried out on the grounds of news content. The inclusion of journalist Tuğba Tekerek, who was arrested as part of the operations, in the investigation on the basis of a single news report she produced on the LGBTI+ movement in Georgia shows that reporting on human rights has directly become the subject of criminal investigations. Tekerek’s deprivation of liberty based on her journalistic activity is unacceptable in terms of press freedom and the public’s right to information.
On Sept. 12, 2026, by decision No. 2026/9559 of Istanbul’s 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace, access was blocked to numerous websites, including the news websites of kaosgl.org, an LGBTI+ news portal that has been publishing for more than 20 years, as well as Velvele and ÜniKuir. The decision also covers the accounts of journalists, lawyers and rights defenders, particularly the personal social media accounts of journalist and Kaos GL Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar.
Since the home raids that began the same night, 116 people, including 44 LGBTI+ rights defenders, have been detained, while 82 people have been arrested. In the investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, publications on the website and social media accounts of Kaos GL, an LGBTI+ organization, were cited as grounds for the accusation of “obscenity” under Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code; however, the investigation documents did not specify which content concretely constituted a crime. The phones, computers and digital materials of those detained in the raids were seized, violating/threatening the confidentiality of journalistic sources. The risk that correspondence with news sources and other sensitive communications contained on the devices may be exposed undermines journalists’ obligation to protect their sources and the security of journalistic activity.
A significant portion of the content made the subject of the investigation consists of news content. Characterizing the publications of a news website collectively as “obscenity,” without identifying a single concrete piece of content, amounts to criminalizing journalism itself. Reporting on rights violations experienced by LGBTI+ people is journalistic activity; making the voices of communities subjected to discrimination heard is among the fundamental functions of the press.
The mass blocking of access to news websites targets not only journalists but also the public’s right to information, which is guaranteed by Articles 26 and 28 of the Constitution and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Constitutional Court’s established case law has repeatedly demonstrated that unjustified and mass access blocks amount to censorship and violate freedom of expression. The fact that similar mass blocks were also imposed during Pride Month 2026 strengthens concerns that what we are facing is not an isolated judicial measure, but a systematic censorship policy aimed at silencing reporting in a particular field.
This wave of access blocks expanded further with a decision by Bakırköy’s 4th Criminal Judgeship of Peace dated Sept. 13, 2026 which blocked the social media accounts of numerous journalists, rights organizations and civil society organizations, including the Evrensel newspaper, Amnesty International Turkey, Academics for Peace and MLSA.The fact that the decision was implemented simultaneously with operations targeting LGBTI+ organizations and rights defenders increases concerns that access blocks have turned into a broader censorship practice targeting not only specific content, but also the channels through which different sections of society receive information, express themselves and organize.
The undersigned organizations call on the authorities to:
- immediately release those deprived of their liberty based on their journalistic activity,
- lift the access blocks imposed on news websites and social media accounts of journalists and civil society organisations
- transparently share with the public the content and legal grounds cited as justification for the investigation and access blocks,
- guarantee the protection of data relating to news sources on journalists’ devices.
Journalism is not a crime. The right to information cannot be obstructed.
Signatories :
Media and Law Studies Association
P24 Platform for Independent Journalism
PEN Norway
Dicle Fırat Journalists Association
Progressive Journalists Association (ÇGD)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Norwegian Helsinki Committee
Turkish Journalists' Union
