Turkey Blocks Social Media Accounts and YouTube Content of Journalist Furkan Karabay

December 31, 2025 – Turkey – 

Turkish authorities have moved to restrict the digital presence of journalist Furkan Karabay by blocking his social media accounts and banning access to a YouTube report, in a development that highlights ongoing concerns about media freedom and online censorship in the country. On December 30, 2025, the Technology and Communications Authority (BTK) imposed a block on Karabay’s accounts on X and Instagram within Turkey, citing unspecified legal orders on grounds of national security and public order. The content takedown also extended to a recent YouTube video by Karabay that focused on the activities of a notorious criminal figure. Turkish authorities have not publicly detailed the specific legal basis or court orders behind these restrictions.

Karabay, a freelance journalist known for his critical reporting and commentary on politics and government affairs, has faced repeated restrictions in recent years. His X account has been blocked multiple times within the past eight months, and he has been subject to legal actions, including arrest and prosecution, over his social media posts and journalistic reporting. Earlier in 2025, Karabay was detained and charged with “insulting the president” and other offences related to his critical coverage of public officials. Although he was later released after serving pretrial detention, his legal challenges reflect a broader pattern of judicial pressure against dissenting journalists in Turkey.

Karabay’s lawyer has condemned the repeated restrictions as systematic violations of freedom of expression and indicated plans to challenge the bans in domestic courts, including appeals to the Constitutional Court and potentially the European Court of Human Rights. Karabay himself announced intentions to continue his work via a new social media account, underscoring the persistence of independent journalists in finding alternative platforms despite state-imposed barriers.

Media freedom organisations have frequently criticised Turkey’s restrictive environment for journalists, noting expansive use of censorship orders and legal penalties that target critical reporting. Observers point to widespread blocking of information channels and persistent legal actions against independent voices as factors in Turkey’s low global rankings on press freedom indices. The blocking of Karabay’s online presence adds to a broader context of digital censorship and restrictions on free expression in the country, raising concerns among international press freedom advocates about the erosion of independent journalism in Turkey.

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Turkey blocks journalist Furkan Karabay’s social media accounts, bans YouTube video