Watch out! Authorities in Turkey are on the lookout for obscenity

September 24, 2025

Turkey's regulatory agency Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has recently fined several major streaming platforms including Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, and Mubi for allegedly violating family values through LGBTQ+ content. This censorship coincides with Turkey's designation of 2025 as the "Year of the Family" and has resulted in the removal of specific films from these platforms. The fines are part of a larger pattern of media restrictions that extends beyond streaming services to include local broadcasters, artists, musicians, and content creators.

Who is affected

LGBTQ+ individuals and communities in Turkey
Streaming platform users who can no longer access certain content
Artists, musicians, and performers (including Manifest girl band, Mabel Matiz, and Sezen Aksu)
Digital content creators who face obscenity charges
Media organizations (including DW, Euronews, and VoA)
Women and feminist organizations facing restrictions
Viewers of local broadcasts subject to censorship
YouTube content creators producing news who must now obtain licenses

What action is being taken

RTÜK is issuing fines to streaming platforms for content allegedly promoting homosexuality
Specific films are being removed from streaming platforms in Turkey
RTÜK is imposing broadcast suspensions and requiring broadcasting licenses from digital media platforms
Turkish authorities are investigating and prosecuting artists over their performances
Law enforcement is placing travel bans on certain artists and content creators
Police are detaining online content creators on obscenity charges
Officials are blocking access to songs deemed contrary to family traditions and customs
RTÜK is warning television channels about broadcasting certain content

Why it matters

This censorship represents a significant threat to freedom of expression and media in Turkey, particularly targeting LGBTQ+ representation. The regulatory actions are part of a broader pattern of restricting artistic freedom and diverse identities under the guise of protecting family values. The crackdown coincides with Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention and occurs against a backdrop of persistent domestic violence, with statistics showing 394 women were murdered in Turkey in 2024 and 136 women victims of femicide in the first six months of 2025. The vague definition of "obscenity" in Turkey's Penal Code allows authorities to broadly interpret and apply censorship across various forms of expression.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices