- Turkish authorities issued access-blocking orders against at least 31 X accounts, including those of journalists Birsen Altuntaş and Erk Acarer, during the week of Oct. 26-Nov. 1. The 10th domain of the Yeni Yaşam newspaper was also blocked, while an X account sharing excerpts from a book by jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was targeted by a separate access-blocking order.
- According to the weekly Free Web monitoring bulletin published by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Turkish authorities continued to impose access restrictions on social media accounts and websites belonging to journalists, news organizations and political parties throughout the week.
At least 31 X accounts, including those of journalists Birsen Altuntaş and Erk Acarer, were targeted by access-blocking orders on Oct. 26 under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, Turkey's main legislation governing internet content and access restrictions.
However, the authorities that issued the orders and their respective decision numbers were not disclosed. The complete list of affected accounts was also not made public.
As of Oct. 26, X had not yet withheld the accounts from users in Turkey.
Yeni Yaşam newspaper's 10th domain blocked
The Istanbul 10th Criminal Judgeship of Peace ordered access blocked to the Yeni Yaşam newspaper's website, yeniyasamgazetesi9.com, in a decision dated Oct. 31, numbered 2026/11556.
The court cited the "protection of national security and public order" as grounds for the restriction.
The latest decision brings the number of Yeni Yaşam domains blocked since 2019 to 10. The newspaper's previous nine domains were also blocked under orders issued by Criminal Judgeships of Peace in different Turkish provinces.
Yeni Yaşam continues to publish through a new domain.
X account sharing excerpts from İmamoğlu's book blocked
An access-blocking order was also issued against the X account @milletsahidim, which shares excerpts from Millet Şahidimdir (The Nation Is My Witness), a book by jailed Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The account's administrators announced the restriction overnight between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, saying it had been imposed under a court order. They said they would continue their activities through a new X account.
The court responsible for the decision, its decision number and the grounds for the restriction were not disclosed.
Instagram accounts of Socialist Refoundation Party blocked
The Instagram accounts of the national headquarters and Istanbul provincial organization of the Socialist Refoundation Party (SYKP), a left-wing political party in Turkey, were targeted by access-blocking orders on Oct. 26.
The restrictions, imposed under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, were implemented by Instagram, making both accounts inaccessible to users in Turkey.
The authority that issued the order and the decision number were not disclosed.
Social media accounts of Özlem Altınok Öz blocked
Access-blocking orders were issued on Oct. 28 against social media content creator Özlem Altınok Öz's YouTube channel, which has approximately 7.9 million subscribers, and her Instagram account, which has around 4.3 million followers.
Her Instagram account was subsequently withheld from users in Turkey.
The restrictions followed social media posts about her son's circumcision and were imposed after Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Services filed an application under Law No. 5651.
In a statement, the ministry said parental consent did not make social media posts that violated children's privacy lawful.
The court that issued the order and its decision number were not disclosed.
MLSA challenges blocking of its X account at Constitutional Court
Meanwhile, MLSA's Legal Unit announced on Oct. 28 that it had filed an individual application with Turkey's Constitutional Court challenging the access-blocking order imposed on the association's official X account, @mlsaturkey.
The Mersin 3rd Criminal Judgeship of Peace had ordered access blocked to numerous social media accounts and websites, including MLSA's X account, on Sept. 14 following a request from the Mersin Provincial Police Department in southern Turkey.
The decision was issued under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651.
MLSA challenged the order, but its appeal was rejected by the Mersin 4th Criminal Judgeship of Peace on Sept. 25.
In its application to the Constitutional Court, MLSA argued that the access-blocking order failed to identify which specific posts were considered problematic and that restricting access to the entire account was disproportionate.
The association maintained that the restriction violated its rights to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of association, as well as its right to an effective remedy and its right to a reasoned judicial decision.
MLSA requested that the Constitutional Court give priority to its application, order a retrial and ensure that access to its X account is restored.
