Turkey says closed news site over ‘LGBTQ propaganda’

Turkey's LGBTQ community has increasingly come under pressure from authorities.(AFP) — Turkey’s Justice Ministry said Wednesday it had shut down the website and social media accounts of T24, a leading independent digital news outlet, citing its “LGBT propaganda.”The move came several weeks after authorities launched a major crackdown on the LGBTQ community, raiding gay bars, nightclubs and the homes of activists and community members with warrants for 162 people.“As part of the ‘My Family is Safe’ investigation … the website and social media accounts of online news portal T24, which has produced 118 pieces of content constituting LGBT propaganda over the past year, have been shut down,” the Justice Ministry said in a statement.T24, whose website still appeared to be working, also published the statement, saying it had not yet been formally notified of the decision.It said it had been subjected to “a smear campaign on social media” that claimed T24’s news coverage “targeted the family, particularly through LGBT content.”Turkey’s LGBTQ community has increasingly come under pressure from authorities, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing it as a “deviant movement” of “perverts.”Days before the raids, Turkish officials confirmed the country would hold an early election in April 2028, with a prominent LGBTQ activist telling AFP the operation was “the start of the election campaign.”Justice Minister Akin Gurlek has said the “My Family is Safe” operation was launched as part of Erdoğan’s “Decade of the Family,” which is aimed at “protecting our children, the institution of the family and social order.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads