Turkey has blocked access to 57 X accounts belonging to women’s and LGBTI+ rights organizations and activists, citing national security and public order concerns, days before the start of Istanbul Pride Week, according to the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD).
The accounts were blocked under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651 and made invisible in Turkey by X. Those affected include Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter, Lambdaistanbul and Young LGBTI+, Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR), Struggle against Sexual Violence as well as LGBTI+ working groups within the Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS).
The restriction came ahead of the 34th İstanbul Pride Week, scheduled for June 22-28, when rights groups typically use social media to share event information and encourage participation.
In notifications to account holders, X said the accounts were restricted in Turkey “in order to comply with our obligations arising from local laws.”
The account of Aslı Alpar, editor-in-chief of Muzır.org, a news platform covering gender, sexuality and LGBTI+ rights, was also blocked. Alpar said X cited a 2013 social media post criticizing a law aimed at preventing violence against women for failing to mention LGBTI+ people as the basis for the restriction.
The move drew criticism from a coalition of 21 human rights organizations, including Amnesty International’s Turkey branch, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) and the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD).
In a joint statement, the groups said the access restrictions, imposed as organizations were preparing for Pride Week activities, constituted a “severe and disproportionate interference” with freedom of expression.
The organizations warned that blocking accounts used for women’s rights, LGBTI+ and human rights groups narrowed civic space and prevented the public from receiving information about lawful activities.
The Human Rights Association also condemned the decision as a clear attack on freedom of expression and freedom of association, saying it legitimized discrimination against women and LGBTI+ individuals through state action and calling on international human rights mechanisms to take action.
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has increasingly portrayed LGBTQ+ visibility as a threat to public morality and family values. Government officials have for years restricted Pride marches and publicly targeted LGBTQ+ advocacy, portraying it as a threat to family values.
Turkey was ranked 47th out of 49 countries in the 2025 Rainbow Index, an annual assessment of LGBTQ+ rights published by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)-Europe, which put it among the bottom five in Europe.
A separate 2025 report by Kaos GL documented continued rights violations against LGBTI+ people in Turkey, including detentions, restrictions on public events and barriers to accessing gender-affirming health care.
