Turkish Pro-Government Columnist Hilal Kaplan Blocks Access to Over 1,600 Online Contents

Pro-government columnist Hilal Kaplan has successfully petitioned a court to block access to more than 1,600 pieces of online content about her, including posts on social media and critical news articles from the opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet.

A prominent Turkish columnist known for her close alignment with the ruling government has secured a sweeping court order to block access to over 1,600 pieces of online content related to her, raising renewed concerns about freedom of expression in the country.

Hilal Kaplan, a columnist for the pro-government daily Sabah, filed an application seeking to block access to a vast number of internet posts and articles discussing her life and work.

The Court Battle Over the Block Order

The request initially met a challenge. The Istanbul 7th Criminal Judgeship of Peace first evaluated Kaplan’s application and rejected the demand.

However, Kaplan filed an objection to the ruling. The subsequent review by the Istanbul 8th Criminal Judgeship of Peace reversed the initial decision and accepted the access block request, putting the expansive restriction into effect.

The official court decision cited the rationale that the URLs contained “expressions and narratives that violate the applicant’s private life,” thereby meeting the legal criteria under Turkey’s Internet Law (Law No. 5651).

Scope of the Content Blocked

The scope of the content removal is extensive, encompassing major social media platforms and prominent Turkish online discussion sites:

• X (formerly Twitter): 633 posts
• Facebook: 331 shares
• Instagram: 78 posts
• Ekşi Sözlük (Turkish “Sour Dictionary”): 61 specific entries and 201 pages related to Kaplan, including the main discussion thread which had accrued 161 pages of entries.

The ruling also included news reports published by established media outlets. Specifically, two articles published by the opposition daily Cumhuriyet were subjected to the access ban: one from 2017 titled ‘Hilal Kaplan, who wanted the name of the Turkish Flag changed, now praises Bahçeli,’ and another concerning her salary received from the state broadcaster TRT.

Background on Hilal Kaplan

Hilal Kaplan is one of Turkey’s most visible and often controversial media figures. She is widely recognized for her unwavering defense of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in her column for Sabah.

Kaplan’s career has seen her move from an early public identity associated with the headscarf ban to becoming a vocal proponent of the current government’s conservative and nationalist policies. Her public profile and political position frequently make her the target of fierce online debate, criticism, and occasionally, personal attacks from government critics.

The use of court orders to remove thousands of online comments and articles, particularly against figures closely associated with the government, is a growing trend in Turkey. Critics argue that such broad use of the law restricts public discourse and shields powerful figures from legitimate public criticism, contributing to an environment of self-censorship in the digital sphere.

The successful block order means that these 1,600+ pieces of content are now inaccessible to users within Turkey.