Reuters
source: Reuters
Turkish journalist whose articles were cited among the grounds for blocking independent news portal T24 said the decision effectively treated objective reporting about LGBTQ+ people as a crime, as the outlet prepared to appeal the order on Thursday.
A court ordered access to T24’s website and social media accounts blocked after authorities said it had published 118 pieces of content over the past year deemed to constitute “LGBT propaganda”.
The decision was taken as part of the “My Family is Safe” investigation, a widening crackdown targeting LGBTQ+ groups which the government says aims to protect children and family values, but which has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and the European Union.
Yildiz Tar, editor-in-chief of LGBTQ+ news outlet Kaos GL, and whose articles published by T24 were among those cited, rejected the authorities’ description of the reporting.
“It creates the image that writing about LGBTQI people in an objective way is a crime, because all of the articles I wrote were objective,” Tar said in an interview.
