Social media platform and government criticised for muzzling jailed Istanbul mayor, with users changing their avatars to his image.
By Ragip Soylu, Middle East Eye,
Turkey blocked the X account of jailed Istanbul mayor and opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu on Thursday.
Turkish authorities said that a post shared by Imamoglu last month may constitute a criminal offence, citing “public incitement to commit a crime” under the penal code. Based on this accusation, a court issued an order to restrict access to his account.
Since Imamoglu’s arrest in March, the government has blocked hundreds of social media accounts belonging to journalists and news organisations. Rights groups have condemned the move, labelling it as an attempt to suppress free speech.
On Thursday, authorities argued that Imamoglu was not personally operating his account while in custody, and that continued activity on the platform could pose a threat to public order. Citing these concerns, prosecutors requested a precautionary access block on his account, to remain in effect until the end of his detention.
“The Istanbul 8th Criminal Judgeship of Peace approved the request, noting that it was technically not possible to block only the specific content deemed problematic without restricting access to the entire account,” said a statement from the Turkish Presidency’s Centre for Combating Disinformation.
In March, the Turkish government cancelled Imamoglu’s university diploma – effectively barring him from running in the 2028 presidential elections – then raided his home and arrested him on charges of corruption.
Criminal complaint against officials
In the 24 April post that led to the account ban, Imamoglu announced he had filed criminal complaints against the officials who detained him on what he described as false charges.
“I ask this handful of opportunists who have brought complete misery upon our nation,” he wrote. “How do you justify to the esteemed Turkish judiciary the fabrication of false witnesses and testimonies, creating informants and slanderers, arresting innocents or threatening them with arrest by saying, ‘You’ll never get out of prison’?”
He also called on his supporters to file similar criminal complaints against the public officials responsible for orchestrating his arrest.
Imamoglu, widely seen as the main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming elections, has become a symbol of opposition resistance. His arrest sparked nationwide protests and an economic boycott targeting companies perceived to support Erdogan’s administration.
Imamoglu had been using his X account from prison through his lawyers to share his views, criticise the government, and issue calls for demonstrations and economic boycotts.
A member of the secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP), Imamoglu was re-elected as mayor last year with over 54 percent of the vote – the highest level of support for the party in Istanbul since the 1980s.
Although the Istanbul prosecutor alleges that Imamoglu led a criminal network involved in extortion and embezzlement of public funds, no formal indictment has yet been filed. Media leaks purporting to show evidence of corruption have failed to convince international observers.
The decision to block Imamoglu’s account triggered a wave of online activism. Many users, including opposition leaders, changed their profile pictures to Imamoglu’s and pledged to repost his messages on their own timelines.
X owner Elon Musk, who has described himself as a “free speech absolutist,” faced criticism for complying with the Turkish court order despite its political implications.
Gonenc Gurkaynak, a lawyer representing X in Turkey, said on Thursday that he had been authorised by the company to file an objection to the court’s decision, which he submitted earlier that day.
