Turkey Blocks LGBT Accounts, Detains 26 in Raids
Turkey Blocks LGBT Accounts, Detains 26 in Raids
The News
Turkey is squeezing its LGBT groups on two fronts at once: online and in their offices.
Accounts belonging to more than a dozen Turkish LGBT organizations have been blocked on X at the request of Turkish authorities, a watchdog said Saturday, according to CTV News. The authorities behind the requests advocate traditional family values.
A day later, prosecutors said 26 people had been detained and the offices of six LGBT associations searched in a series of raids, Reuters reported. Prosecutors said the raids followed allegations of prostitution and obscenity.
Timeline
A watchdog says X has blocked the accounts of more than a dozen Turkish LGBT organizations at the request of Turkish authorities, CTV News reports.
Turkish prosecutors say 26 people have been detained and the offices of six LGBT associations searched in raids tied to allegations of prostitution and obscenity, Reuters reports.
Reactions
Turkish prosecutors justified the raids by pointing to allegations of prostitution and obscenity.
The account blocks were sought by authorities who, per CTV News, campaign on traditional family values.
The watchdog that flagged the blocked accounts treated them as a censorship action against Turkish civil society groups.
What's Next
The immediate question is what happens to the 26 people detained — whether prosecutors file charges or release them.
The second question is X's. The platform acted on Turkish government requests, and its handling of those requests is the kind of decision that draws scrutiny from free-speech advocates in the United States and Europe.
More
Withholding accounts at a government's request is a standing feature of how global platforms operate inside countries with speech restrictions: the company complies locally rather than lose access to the market. That trade-off is why a single blocking order in Turkey turns into an American free-speech argument.
Poll
Should X comply with government requests to block accounts?
American Pope Marks 9/11 With Peace Appeal
Israeli Strike Kills Two in Gaza City
Sep 13, 2026
Iran Says Ship Struck Near Hormuz, One Dead
Sep 13, 2026
Anthropic CEO Urges AI Slowdown; Altman, Musk Agree
Sep 13, 2026
Labour Eyes Donation Curbs After Reform's £72m Haul
Sep 13, 2026
Badenoch Leads UK Backlash Over Trump's Ireland Remark
Sep 13, 2026
Russian Missile Destroys Ukrainian Tennis Star's Odesa Home
Sep 13, 2026
GOP Governor Candidate Swims From Sinking Plane
Sep 13, 2026
Four Killed in Louisiana Stabbing; Manhunt Underway
Sep 13, 2026
Colleges Condemn Students Mocking Kirk Assassination Anniversary
Sep 13, 2026
Charleston White Arrested Again on Florida Battery Charge
Sep 13, 2026
Border Patrol Rescues MS NOW Crew in Desert
Sep 13, 2026
Supreme Court Restores Missouri's Old House Map
Sep 13, 2026
Alaska Drops Felony Voter Charges Against Samoans
Sep 13, 2026
Trespasser Breaches Harris' Malibu Estate; No Arrest
Sep 12, 2026
Hegseth Pressed Downed Airmen Into 60 Minutes
Sep 12, 2026
Houthis Seize Mokha, Choking Saudi Oil Exports
Sep 12, 2026
Altman Rules Out OpenAI IPO This Year
Sep 12, 2026
Jury Acquits Lil Durk in Murder-for-Hire Case
Sep 12, 2026
Judge: Trump Broke Law Halving FEMA Staff
Sep 12, 2026
Sep 13, 2026