The decision to block access to T24's website and social media account was widely covered in international news agencies and newspapers.
Foreign media drew attention to the reason for the decision, the recent access restrictions imposed on social media accounts, and the debates regarding freedom of the press in Türkiye.
REUTERS: “ACCESS TO POPULAR NEWS PORTAL HAS BEEN BLOCKED”
Reuters announced the development with the title "Turkish court blocked access to popular news portal on the grounds of 'LGBTQ plus propaganda'."
The news reminded that many people were arrested at the beginning of the month within the scope of the "My Family is Safe" investigation, which the government stated aimed to protect children and family values.
Based on the Ministry's statement, Reuters reported that the Istanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace decided to block access to T24's website and social media accounts after it was determined that T24 had published 118 contents considered to be "LGBT propaganda" in the last year.
The news also included the following statements:
"As part of the investigation, Turkish authorities had previously blocked access to the websites and social media accounts of LGBTQ+ associations, activists and independent media organizations, including the X account of Amnesty International's Turkey branch. This repression policy drew the reaction of rights organizations and European authorities. The European Union expressed its concerns about the arrests and access blocks imposed on websites and social media accounts, and called on Ankara to respect freedom of expression and the press."
DPA: “ACCESS TO A LEADING INDEPENDENT NEWS SITE HAS BEEN BLOCKED”
German News Agency DPA published the news with the title "Turkey blocked access to the leading independent news site T24 and account X."
The following expressions were used in the news:
"Access to one of Türkiye's largest independent news sites has been blocked. EngelWeb, an attempt to monitor internet censorship, announced the closure of both the website of the news portal T24 and the account X, followed by approximately 2 million people."
DPA described T24, founded in 2009, as “one of Türkiye's largest online media organizations known for its critical coverage of the government.”
DPA DRAW ATTENTION TO RECENT ACCESS OBSTACLES
In DPA's news, it was also reminded that access to many X accounts has been blocked in Türkiye in recent weeks.
"The first wave of blocking took place during the 'My Family is Safe' operation, in which LGBT+ associations were raided and activists were detained on charges such as obscenity. The accounts of journalists and financial experts who commented on a new stock market scandal in Türkiye were also blocked. According to EngelWeb data, at least 147 X accounts were blocked on Wednesday alone."
It was also shared in the news that Türkiye ranked 163rd out of 180 countries in this year's World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders.
AFP: “T24 WAS CLOSED DUE TO 'LGBTQ PROPAGANDA'”
AFP reported the development under the title "Türkiye announced that the news site was closed due to 'LGBTQ propaganda'."
Referring to the statement of the Ministry of Justice, the news stated that access to T24's website and social media accounts was blocked on the grounds of "LGBT propaganda".
AFP stated that the decision came a few weeks after the operations against the LGBTQ community, and noted that the access ban was met with reaction by journalism organizations and the main opposition party NEW Party.
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: “CENSORSHIP IS INCREASING IN Türkiye”
German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine announced the news to its readers with the title "Access to news site T24 in Türkiye was blocked on the grounds of 'LGBT propaganda'."
The newspaper used the following expressions for the decision:
"Censorship is increasing in Türkiye. Now access to one of the largest Turkish news sites has been blocked."
