Turkey blocks at least 80 X accounts citing national security

September 26, 2026 at 05:18 PM1 min

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Turkish authorities blocked at least 80 X accounts on September 26, citing national security and public order. The blocked accounts include journalists, academics, and finance commentators, among them Kısa Dalga, Hilmi Hacaloğlu, and Başaran Aksu. Opposition leader Özgür Özel condemned the move, saying the accounts share one trait: they do not support the ruling party.

Key Facts

At least 80 X accounts were blocked in Turkey on September 26, 2026.
The blocks cited national security and public order as justification.
Blocked accounts include Kısa Dalga, journalists Hilmi Hacaloğlu, Alptekin Dursunoğlu, Razi Canikligil, and academic Prof. Dr. Barış Övgün.
X subsequently made new accounts of some blocked users invisible from Turkey.
Opposition leader Özgür Özel criticized the blocks, stating that the accounts share one common trait: they do not support the ruling party.

The Blocking

On September 26, Turkish authorities blocked at least 80 X accounts, citing national security and public order. The blocked accounts include news outlet Kısa Dalga, journalists Hilmi Hacaloğlu, Alptekin Dursunoğlu, and Razi Canikligil, investment advisor Emre Şirin, political economist İnan Mutlu, academic Prof. Dr. Barış Övgün, and Başaran Aksu, co-founder of Umut-Sen. Also among those blocked is Prof. Dr. Veysel Ulusoy, a columnist for Cumhuriyet and founder of ENAG. After the blocking, X made new accounts of some users, including Emre Şirin, Başaran Aksu, and Kısa Dalga, invisible from Turkey.

Opposition Response

Özgür Özel, leader of the YENİ Party, reacted on his X account to the blocked accounts. Özel stated that the blocked accounts share one common trait: they do not support the ruling party. He warned X and Instagram that their power in Turkey comes from millions of users, not from a handful of pro-government supporters. Özel called on the platforms not to be part of unjust censorship carried out for political ambitions.