Turkish authorities on Thursday blocked access to the social media account of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on platform X (formerly Twitter), where he had nearly 10 million followers, intensifying concerns over free speech and political repression in the country.
Imamoglu, considered the most formidable challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule, was arrested on March 19 on corruption charges he denies. His detention sparked widespread protests across the country, raising fears that he may be barred from contesting the 2028 presidential elections.
Users attempting to view Imamoglu’s X profile on Thursday were met with a notice reading, “Account Withheld — @ekrem_imamoglu has been withheld in TR (Turkey) in response to a legal demand.” A spokesperson for the Istanbul municipality confirmed the account had been blocked, though provided no further details.
According to the presidency’s Disinformation Combat Centre, the restriction came after Istanbul prosecutors launched an investigation into a post made on Imamoglu’s account on April 24, which allegedly amounted to “public incitement to commit a crime.” The post had criticised the arrest of several opponents, including lawyers, and urged citizens to “speak up.”
While prosecutors acknowledged Imamoglu had not authored the post directly, they nonetheless requested that access to the account be blocked until his detention is lifted, claiming the message disrupted public order.
Internet watchdog EngelliWeb confirmed the move, saying the account had been censored under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651 for national security reasons. Freedom of expression advocates denounced the action as politically motivated.
“This is an arbitrary order,” said Yaman Akdeniz, a law professor and director of Turkey’s Freedom of Expression Association (IFOD). “X has officially become the long arm of the Turkish law enforcement agencies.”
Lawyer Gonenc Gurkaynak, representing X in Turkey, filed a 765-page objection to the Istanbul court order, challenging the censorship.
Meanwhile, a show of solidarity flooded the platform, as X users replaced their profile pictures with Imamoglu’s image. His last post before the block urged supporters to attend a protest rally organized by the CHP, his political party. Tens of thousands gathered at Istanbul University on Wednesday—where Imamoglu was controversially stripped of his degree the day before his arrest—in one of the largest rallies since his detention.
