Journalists Decry Turkey’s Restriction Of The News Citing “LGBT Propaganda”

Turkish journalists are speaking out after a court blocked access to independent news outlet T24 and its social media accounts over reporting of stories authorities labelled “LGBT propaganda”.

The order follows the identification of 118 items published over the past year. Istanbul’s 1st Criminal Court of Peace issued the decision as part of the government’s “My Family Is Safe” investigation, which authorities say protects children and family values. T24 said it would challenge the ban.

For the journalists whose work has been targeted, the message is grim: reporting on queer people’s stories – positive, negative, or completely neutral – is being used to justify shutting readers out.

Yildiz Tar, editor-in-chief of LGBTQIA+ news outlet Kaos GL, said their articles cited in the order covered rights, hate killings and queer people’s experiences following Turkey’s 2023 earthquake.

“It’s not propaganda. It’s about basic journalism. It’s about reality,” Tar told Reuters.

T24 editor Candan Yildiz described the restrictions as a “digital state of emergency”, warning that authorities were deciding which subjects journalists could cover.

In a separate video interview, Yildiz said LGBTQIA+ people belonged to Turkish society, had families and dignity, and deserved to have their voices reported. She also said readers could continue accessing T24 through VPNs, while the outlet’s lawyers challenged what she described as a disproportionate block.

“We are really experiencing ‌a ⁠digital state of emergency,” she told Reuters. “An authority is telling journalists: you can report these stories, but you cannot report those. This really undermines the foundations of our profession.”

“Journalism cannot be shut down. We are doing our jobs,” she said.

The response has extended well beyond T24’s newsroom.

On 1 October, 13 journalism organisations issued a joint statement demanding the decision be reversed. Signatories included the Journalists’ Union of Turkey, the Media and Law Studies Association and the International Press Institute.

The organisations said the order attacked both press freedom and the public’s ability to obtain information. They also warned that the investigation had already targeted journalists, news websites and reporters’ social accounts, pledging to keep defending their colleagues against the restrictions.

What’s happening to LGBTQIA+ people in Turkey?

The access order comes after September raids targeting LGBTQIA+ organisations, media, HIV support groups and nightlife venues. You can read our explainer on this here.

Human Rights Watch reported on 18 September that police had arrested at least 112 people during coordinated operations from 12–14 September, with 82 still detained under court orders at the time.

The organisation also highlighted the detention of journalist Tuğba Tekerek, saying the only evidence cited against her was a 2024 article about LGBTQIA+ rights in Georgia published by Kaos.

On 1 October, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution condemning an escalating campaign of arrests, raids and online restrictions across 15 provinces.

It warned that attacks on LGBTQIA+ rights often precede attacks on other communities, and rejected the use of “traditional family values” to justify violence or disproportionate restrictions.