Authorities' Request Leads to Blocking of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's Twitter Account in Turkey
In a bold move, Turkish authorities blocking access to Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's X account on May 8 served as a contentious blow. A defiant stand against the mayor who, throughout his imprisonment since March 23, has been a formidable adversary to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the move came just a day after a massive opposition rally in front of Istanbul University attended by tens of thousands.
A terse statement read, "Restricted Account - @ekrem_imamoglu has been restricted in TR [Turkey] in response to a legal request." Strangely, his English account, @imamoglu_int, remains reachable.
Political tension has run high since İmamoğlu's arrest, accused of corruption—a charge he denies vehemently—and subsequent confinement. In his final message posted by close allies, he called his followers to join a rally called by his party, the Republican People's Party (CHP, social-democratic), on the previous evening.
However, the Turkish presidency and the Istanbul municipality attributed the blocking to a message published on April 24 that could constitute incitement to commit an offense[1][2]. According to the Presidential Information and Communication Technologies Research Center, it was an ex officio investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office which led to the account ban[1][2].
The blocking of his account is perfectly legal under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, enabling the blocking of online content to protect national security and public order[3].
With a prominent lawyer, Gönenç Gürkaynak, challenging the decision in court at İmamoğlu's request, it remains to be seen if the mayor's account will be unblocked[1][2]. This development stands as a rallying point for many.
In the wake of his arrest, which occurred as he prepared to be invested by his party for the 2028 presidential election, much upset and protest surged through the streets of Istanbul for a week. Protests occurred in cities across Turkey, drawing large crowds[1][3]. Still, numbers have gradually decreased over recent weeks due to the repression and arrests of some 2,000 people[1][3].
Meanwhile, renowned Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk argued that İmamoğlu's arrest represented the end of the limited form of democracy in Turkey[4]. In an op-ed, he stated, "What are the trials and (...) arrests for which many people, including myself, are held in filthy detention centers for days?" addressing the disturbing situation[4].
- The Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been a fiery adversary to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan while in jail, had his X account restricted by Turkish authorities on May 8.
- The Turkish presidency and Istanbul municipality claimed that the blocking of İmamoğlu's account was due to a message published on April 24 that could lead to incitement to commit an offense.
- The legal right to block online content in Turkey is granted under Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, aimed at protecting national security and public order.
- Famous Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk asserts that İmamoğlu's arrest marks the end of the limited form of democracy in Turkey and questions the mass trials and arrests ongoing in the country.
- Government repression and arrests of over 2,000 people have led to a decrease in the numbers attending protests across Turkey following İmamoğlu's arrest, despite ongoing general news, crime-and-justice, politics, policy-and-legislation, protests, and war-and-conflicts.
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