Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
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POLITICS

The Claim

Turkish authorities identified 591 social media accounts for allegedly producing disinformation and posting content aimed at inciting hatred and hostility following school attacks in Turkey.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The claim accurately reflects an official announcement by Turkey's General Directorate of Security (EGM) that 591 social media accounts were identified in connection with school attacks in Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa. Multiple outlets, including the editorially independent Hürriyet Daily News, corroborate the figure. The word "allegedly" in the claim appropriately signals this is an official allegation, not independently verified wrongdoing. The 591 figure is part of a broader enforcement action that also included 940 blocked accounts and 83 arrest orders.

Caveats

  • The 591 figure originates from a single official EGM statement widely republished across Turkish media; no independent audit has verified that these accounts were actually producing disinformation or inciting hatred.
  • Turkey has a documented pattern of using disinformation and hate-speech laws broadly against political critics and protest-related content, which complicates the framing that this action was purely a targeted anti-hate measure.
  • The 591 accounts are part of a larger enforcement package (940 accounts blocked, 83 arrest orders) — citing only the 591 figure understates the full scope of the government's response.

The Receipts

  1. Joint Open Letter to Social Media Companies on Censorship in Türkiye

    Human Rights Watch

  2. Türkiye orders 83 arrests over online praise for school shootings

    Hürriyet Daily News

  3. Turkey's New Disinformation Law: An Alarming Trend Towards ...

    Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik

  4. 591 sosyal medya hesabı hakkında işlem başlatıldı - Gazete Oksijen

    Gazete Oksijen

  5. Turkey's top appeals court sentences social media user for retweeting insulting post

    Duvar English

  6. Criminal complaint over racist writing on school stairs

    Bianet

  7. Okul saldırılarıyla ilgili dezenformasyon üreten 591 sanal medya hesabı hakkında işlem başlatıldı

    DHA

  8. EGM duyurdu! Dezenformasyon ürettiği saptanan 591 sosyal medya hesabı hakkında işlem başlatıldı

    Mynet

  9. Dezenformasyon yapan 41 sosyal medya hesabı kapatıldı

    Türkiye Gazetesi

  10. After the attack in Kahramanmaras, terrifying posts ... - Haberler.com

    Haberler.com

+ 12 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

TurkeyTurkish authorities

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