Turkiye: WPF Calls on X to Unblock Amberin Zaman’s Account and Resist Censorship
October 22, 2024 - Turkiye
Women Press Freedom stands in solidarity with Amberin Zaman, whose X account is being unjustly blocked in Turkiye due to innocuous tweets. It is unacceptable for X and Elon Musk to comply with oppressive court orders that undermine press freedom and the right to express opinions.
The tweet that led to the blocking of the Al Monitor correspondent’s account in Turkiye involved sharing a photograph she took in Athens. In her tweet, she expressed her curiosity about the presence of people in Athens who were familiar with "Rojava," referring to the autonomous region in northern Syria predominantly inhabited by Kurds.
Amberin's tweet was not an incitement to violence, hate speech, or harassment; rather, it highlighted a cultural observation that she found interesting. Despite the innocuous nature of her content, Turkish authorities interpreted it as politically sensitive, leading to the court's decision to block her account.
We call on X and Musk to practice what they preach. If X is truly a platform that promotes open debate and free speech, why is it complying with the censoring tactics of a regime that frequently weaponizes the courts to silence journalists? We demand that Amberin's account in Turkiye be unblocked.
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