Turkey blocks Sky News reporter Alex Crawford's X account

Turkish authorities have blocked the X account of Sky News journalist Alex Crawford, she said Monday, in a move a rights group linked to a wider wave of social media censorship.

Crawford told AFP she had been notified by X that her account was being blocked in Turkey. She said she had contacted the Turkish presidency to ask why but had received no answer, and that Sky News was contesting the block “on a matter of principle”.

Turkey's Freedom of Expression Association, known as IFOD, said Crawford's account had been listed in a mid-September court decision as authorities began a crackdown on the LGBTQ community for “obscenity” in the name of protecting family values.

IFOD said Crawford's account was made invisible from Turkey by X on October 5 as part of that investigation.

The association said the move was part of a surge in legal challenges that have made accounts belonging to journalists, media organisations, LGBTQ activists, women's rights groups, lawyers, unions, academics and financial experts invisible in Turkey.

Last Wednesday, Turkey shut down the website and social media accounts of T24, a leading independent news website, citing its “LGBT propaganda”. The justice ministry said T24 had produced 118 pieces of content constituting LGBT propaganda over the past year.

IFOD said last month that Turkish authorities blocked nearly 1,300 accounts, more than the total for 2025. It said at least 1,270 X accounts were blocked in September and that 90 percent were made invisible from Turkey, with the affected accounts having more than 35 million followers in total.