Another Platform for Free Speech Blocked in Turkey

The online dictionary Ekşi Sözlük, a unique platform for expressing free thoughts, has been blocked again one day before Turkey's presidential elections on May 14.

This was reported by the Turkey Freedom of Expression Association (İfade Özgürlüğü Derneği), which monitors blocked websites, news, and social media content in Turkey, as conveyed by Ermenihaber.

Specifically, the association noted in its publication that the new domain of Ekşi Sözlük, eksisozluk2023.com, has been blocked again by the decision of Ankara's 6th Criminal Court.

The main domain of the platform, known as Ekşi Sözlük, was previously blocked on February 21 during the days of the earthquakes in Turkey, under the pretext of “protecting national security and public order.”

The blocking of thedictionary has been criticized by the leader of the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, as well as Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other opposition figures. “They shut down Twitter during the most critical hours, and I couldn’t hear the calls for help. Now they have silenced the voice of the dictionary,” Kılıçdaroğlu wrote, urging the Turkish Presidential Communications Directorate to keep its hands off Ekşi Sözlük.