Key facts
- X is complying with a Turkish court order to block access to Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's presidential candidacy office account.
- The court order cited national security and public order as reasons for the restriction.
- X has initiated legal proceedings to challenge the court's order.
- Imamoglu's main X account, with nearly 10 million followers, was previously blocked in Turkey in May 2025.
- Imamoglu remains in jail pending trial on multiple charges, which he denies.
Social media platform X announced on Tuesday that it is complying with a Turkish court order to block access within Turkey to the presidential candidacy office account of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. The court's order, which cited national security and public order, targeted Imamoglu's account with approximately 225,700 followers.
X stated that while it is implementing the restriction due to Turkish law, it disagrees with the order and has initiated legal proceedings to challenge it. This action follows a similar incident in May 2025, when Imamoglu's main X account, boasting nearly 10 million followers, was blocked in Turkey under a comparable court order, which X also legally contested.
Imamoglu, considered President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, was detained on March 19, 2025, and remains in jail pending trial on charges including graft, espionage, and terrorism, all of which he strongly denies. His detention triggered significant protests across Turkey. Imamoglu was elected as the Republican People's Party's presidential candidate following his detention, though his university diploma, a requirement for candidacy, was annulled by Istanbul University the day before his arrest.
Under its owner Elon Musk, X has often positioned itself as a proponent of free speech, while also asserting its practice of adhering to valid local laws in the countries where it operates, even as it seeks to challenge certain legal orders through the courts.