A court has ordered an access ban on the X account of Yaman Akdeniz, a professor of law and co-founder of the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), which monitors online censorship and access restrictions in Turkey.
X complied with the decision and made the account unavailable to users in Turkey.
The restriction was imposed under Article 8/A of Turkey’s Internet Law No. 5651, which is commonly used by Turkish courts when ordering access blocks.
“I have become the subject of the issue I constantly raise,” Akdeniz told bianet. “As a lawyer and a law professor, I do not know under which decision and on what grounds my account was blocked. I do not know which court issued this decision. I do not know why X made my account invisible with lightning speed. Since the decision has not been served on me, I cannot pursue legal remedies.”
“Of course, one day it will be everyone’s turn. I am not surprised, but I did not expect it,” he added, saying he would continue his work against censorship.
Article 8/A allows authorities to block online content on grounds including protecting the right to life, personal and property safety, national security and public order, preventing crime and protecting public health.
The provision has become a key legal basis for access restrictions after the Constitutional Court struck down Article 9 of the law, which concerned violations of personal rights, in Oct 2023.
The decision against Akdeniz follows a series of recent restrictions targeting the social media accounts of journalists, rights advocates, media outlets and women’s and LGBTI+ organizations.
Turkey blocks over 400 social media accounts belonging to journalists, rights groups
Recently, the X accounts of the Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation, Lambdaistanbul, SPoD and numerous other women’s and LGBTI+ organizations were blocked under the same provision.
Evrensel newspaper, Amnesty International Turkey, Academics for Peace and the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) have also faced similar restrictions.
İFÖD has long monitored and reported on access bans targeting websites, news reports and social media content in Turkey. (HA/VK)
