Journalist Alican Uludağ's X account and posts blocked in Turkey

Journalist Alican Uludağ, a correspondent for DW Turkish, has had his X (formerly Twitter) account and 13 specific posts blocked from view within Turkey. The decision was made under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, citing reasons of national security and public order, according to the Freedom of Expression Association's EngelliWeb platform.

While the 13 posts are now invisible to users in Turkey, the account itself has not yet been rendered inaccessible. The blocked content reportedly includes legal critiques of a new judicial system in Turkey, questioning the disregard for the presumption of innocence. Other posts raised questions about political and military responsibilities surrounding the 2016 coup attempt, with specific criticisms directed at former Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar.

Further restrictions targeted Uludağ's commentary on political figures and events. This includes sharp criticism of former Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's stance on operations against mayors, and scrutiny of the operation against the CHP-affiliated Adalar Municipality in Istanbul, noting the absence of similar actions against government-aligned municipalities. The journalist also highlighted the detention of İBB Medya A.Ş. General Manager Fatoş Pınar Türker, her defense regarding alleged strip searches, and threats against her children.

The blocked posts also expressed strong reactions to the use of counter-terrorism prosecutors in investigations against journalists, referencing the case of BirGün reporter Kayhan Ayhan. Additionally, Uludağ criticized the detention of theater artist Levent Üzümcü and questioned inconsistencies surrounding the death of Muhammed Kavi during detentions prior to a NATO summit in Ankara. Other restricted content involved disputes over responsibility in the Grand Kartal Hotel fire that killed 78 people and criticisms of the judiciary's stance in a case related to internal CHP congress debates.