Turkey blocks arrested opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu's X account
May 8 (UPI) -- Turkey Thursday ordered X to restrict access to the account of jailed political opposition leader and Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu.
X's Global Government Affairs team said in a statement that it is complying with Turkey's order to block Imamoglu's account but will challenge it.
"We strongly disagree with the order and are challenging the order in court. The order was received from the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority. These orders require X to block content in Turkey that is available in the rest of the world," it said.
A post on Imamoglu's X account Thursday said it was blocked by a legal demand.
According to the BBC, a lawyer representing X has filed a court challenge to the block order.
Imamoglu's Republican People's Party told the BBC that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's is taking another step in a coup attempt.
"Now they won't even allow him to speak to the public," said CHP Secretary General Selin Sayek Boke. "It clearly shows the fear of those in power that they will be losing power. It's a coup attempt against the next ballot box."
Opinion polls show Imamoglu would win an election if allowed to run in 2028.
X said defying the order to block Imamoglu's account could lead to Turkey banning X entirely from the country.
"X complied with the court order while we challenge the order in court because we believe keeping the platform accessible in Turkey is vital to supporting freedom of expression and access to information, particularly following natural disasters and other emergencies," the statement said.
When Imamoglu was taken into custody March 19, he said, "I'm sorry to say, a handful of minds trying to usurp the will of our nation have used my beloved police officers, the security forces of this country, as instruments of evil, and have gathered hundreds of police officers at the door of my home, the home of 16 million Istanbulites."
Imamoglu was formally arrested on corruption charges and removed from office in March, sparking thousands of people who believe his arrest is politically motivated to protest.
He denies committing crimes and had been urging his supporters to protest.
For people using VPNs Imamoglu's X account in Turkey is still accessible.
Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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