07/07/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
As of today, we are continuing our publication via the website kaosgl1.org.
First, our X account was blocked from access in Turkey by court order. We opened a new account. This time, on June 26, the Istanbul 12th Criminal Judgeship of Peace issued an access ban on our online newspaper kaosgl.org, our new X account, and our Facebook and Instagram accounts. For now, our Facebook and Instagram accounts remain active. Unfortunately, access to our website has been blocked from within Turkey.
As of today, we are continuing our publication via kaosgl1.org. We have initiated legal proceedings to lift these access bans, which amount to serious censorship of LGBTİ+ journalism. Until the process is concluded, we will do our best to continue publishing through kaosgl1.org.
We have still not been able to obtain the court decision from the 9th Criminal Judgeship of Peace that led to the blocking of our X account. It took days for us to access the decision by the 12th Criminal Judgeship of Peace blocking our website and all our social media accounts.
The 12th Criminal Judgeship of Peace’s decision not only blocked KaosGL.org and all our social media accounts but also included our news report on Fethiye Pride Week, our report on violence against a trans man in Ankara, and our post announcing that our X account had been blocked. In other words, the social media content where we announced the censorship itself was used as a "justification" for the complete shutdown of our site. The decision claimed our content contained “criminal elements” and stated that an investigation was launched for “openly inciting the commission of crimes.”
We find it difficult to understand how reporting on a Pride Week in a Turkish city, on violence faced by a trans man, or on the fact that we were blocked from access can be considered “open incitement to commit a crime” or a “criminal element.”
We thank everyone who raised their voice against censorship. You can continue to read our news and articles at kaosgl1.org.
Tags: human rights, media
