During the United Nations General Assembly’s annual session, microphones were abruptly cut off multiple times while world leaders were delivering speeches.
According to Turkish news agencies, this disruption occurred particularly during speeches by leaders of Muslim-majority countries—precisely when they were addressing Israeli aggression and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Leaders affected included Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, whose microphones were cut exactly when they spoke about recognizing the Palestinian state, expressing concern over Gaza, or criticizing Israeli actions.
It wasn’t limited to Muslim leaders. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also experienced a microphone shutdown while speaking about civilian casualties in Gaza, human rights violations, and the recognition of Palestine.
UN staff and technical teams claimed the microphone issues were purely technical, citing audio machinery faults, cable connection problems, or glitches in the translation system. They emphasized that there is no evidence suggesting the microphones were deliberately turned off or that there was any attempt to suppress voices.
However, Turkish media alleged that the microphones were automatically disabled and that technology had been installed to censor discussions on humanitarian crises, Gaza casualties, and Israeli aggression.
Another media report suggested that speakers were allotted a strict five-minute time limit, and microphones automatically shut off once that limit was exceeded.
