Turkey Blocks 21 X Accounts, Citing ‘National Security’

A Turkish court has blocked access to at least 21 accounts on the social media platform X, according to a statement from the Istanbul Peace Criminal Court. The court’s decision was made under the legal justification of “national security,” but critics say the move amounts to censorship of political dissent. The suspended accounts include those belonging to the Aile Dayanışma Ağı (Family Solidarity Network), a civil society group, as well as the news outlet soL Haber. Also affected was the official account of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), which had used its feed to issue a rebuttal, or “tekzip,” against recent claims made by government officials. No specific content from the blocked accounts has been made public by the court. The action comes amid a broader crackdown on opposition voices and independent media in the country. Legal experts note that the “national security” clause is frequently invoked in such cases, though its application to a municipal fact-checking post has raised questions about the scope of the measure. As of this report, X has not commented on the court order. The affected accounts remain inaccessible to users within Turkey.