Turkish authorities have blocked access to the X (formerly Twitter) account of imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, following a legal request. The move was confirmed in a statement on his X profile this Thursday.
Imamoglu, the main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on March 19, sparking the largest wave of protests in Turkey in the past decade. He was jailed four days later and is awaiting trial on corruption charges—accusations he firmly denies.
Opposition parties and civil society groups have widely condemned his arrest as politically motivated and anti-democratic.
His X account, which has nearly 10 million followers, has been a crucial platform for communication and mobilization.
Prominent Turkish lawyer Gonenc Gurkaynak announced on X that he would file an appeal against the court decision that led to the account being blocked, in coordination with the social media platform.
Details of the legal grounds for the access ban have not yet been made public.
Meanwhile, recent public opinion polls indicate a surge in support for Imamoglu following his imprisonment, bolstering speculation that he could emerge as Erdogan’s main challenger in the 2028 presidential elections.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions between authoritarian state measures and democratic expression in Turkey, as well as the growing role of digital platforms in political resistance.
