Turkish Court Bans T24 News Site Over LGBT Content

An Istanbul court ordered an access ban on the website and social media accounts of T24, a prominent independent news portal, on September 30, 2026. The Istanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace issued the ruling after the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office identified 118 pieces of content published over the previous year as LGBT propaganda.

The ban is part of a broader government campaign titled My Family is Safe, which aims to protect traditional family values and children. This operation has led to the jailing of over 80 people on obscenity charges and the blocking of accounts belonging to LGBTQ+ activists and organizations, including the Turkey branch of Amnesty International. Simultaneously, authorities blocked hundreds of X accounts for allegedly spreading pro-Israel propaganda or sharing information about Turkey's fund crisis.

T24 officials stated the ban followed a social media smear campaign accusing the outlet of receiving foreign funds to influence its editorial policy, a claim the outlet denies. The European Union and Human Rights Watch criticized the measures, calling for the protection of media freedom. T24 announced it would appeal the decision and encouraged readers to use its mobile app to evade censorship.