Turkish authorities have blocked access to the X (formerly Twitter) account of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key opposition figure and leading rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, intensifying fears over censorship and political repression in the country.
Imamoglu, who has nearly 10 million followers on the platform, has been behind bars since March 19 on corruption charges he denies. His arrest triggered nationwide protests and cast doubt on his eligibility to run in the 2028 presidential election.
As of Thursday morning, visitors to his X profile were met with the message: “Account Withheld — @ekrem_imamoglu has been withheld in TR (Turkey) in response to a legal demand.” The Istanbul municipality confirmed the restriction but declined to provide further details.
The Turkish presidency’s Disinformation Combat Centre claimed the ban was linked to an April 24 post from Imamoglu’s account, which prosecutors said encouraged “public incitement to commit a crime.” Although Imamoglu is not believed to have authored the post directly, prosecutors argued it disrupted public order and requested the account be blocked until his detention ends.
The post in question strongly criticised the arrest of several opposition figures, including lawyers, and urged the public “not to remain silent.”
Internet freedom watchdog EngelliWeb reported the account was censored under Article 8/A of Turkey’s Law No. 5651, citing national security and public order concerns. Critics say the move reflects a growing trend of digital repression targeting dissenting voices.
“This is yet another arbitrary order,” said Yaman Akdeniz, a professor of law and director of the Freedom of Expression Association (IFOD). “X has now become an extension of Turkish law enforcement.”
X’s independent attorney in Turkey, Gonenc Gurkaynak, submitted a 765-page legal objection to the court, challenging the ruling and defending the platform’s users’ right to free expression.
In response to the ban, many users on X changed their profile pictures to Imamoglu’s in a show of support. His final message before the block urged citizens to attend a massive rally organized by his CHP party on Wednesday.
The rally, held outside Istanbul University—which controversially stripped Imamoglu of his degree a day before his arrest—drew tens of thousands of demonstrators. While the size of protests had declined in recent weeks, Wednesday’s turnout marked one of the largest public shows of support since Imamoglu’s jailing.
What you should know
Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor and Erdogan’s chief political rival, has had his X account blocked by Turkish authorities. The move follows ongoing efforts to silence dissent and restrict opposition influence ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.
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