Social media platform X has blocked access to at least 42 accounts belonging to Turkish journalists, activists and media organizations operated by journalists living in exile, marking yet another act of censorship, turkishminute.com report.

Among the blocked accounts are those that belong to exiled journalists Turhan Bozkurt, Abdullah Bozkurt, Emre Uslu, Ergun Babahan, Basri Doğan and Erkam Tufan Aytav in addition to the account of Bold News, a website established by a group of exiled journalists.

Activists such as lawyers Murat Akkoç and Gökhan Güneş, whose accounts have been blocked, cover widespread rights violations in Turkey, which increased following a failed coup in 2016, and provide victims of a post-coup purge with legal advice.

Some of these accounts have a large number of followers on X, totaling several hundred thousand people.

X, which has a poor track record of complying with the Turkish government’s censorship demands, made its decision based on a ruling from an Ankara court. The court cited the need for “protection of national security and public order” as its rationale.

Turhan Bozkurt, a former business editor with over 318.000 followers on X, has pledged to continue his journalistic activities despite the censorship imposed by the Turkish government. He said journalism would merely become a form of public relations if journalists refrained from criticizing the government. To stay connected with his followers in Turkey, he created a new account on X.

A statement from the presidential communications directorate said that access to 42 X accounts was blocked as part of a “digital fight” against the faith-based Gülen movement on the grounds that they spread propaganda and disinformation.

The Gülen movement, inspired by the teachings of Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who passed away in Pennsylvania last October, is labeled a terrorist organization by the Turkish government. The government accuses the movement of orchestrating the failed coup in July 2016, a claim that the movement strongly denies.

There are also other journalists and media platforms affected by the access ban but not included in the 42 listed by the government.