The social media platform X announced on August 5, 2026, that it is complying with a Turkish court order to block access within Turkey to the presidential candidacy account of imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, which has approximately 225,700 followers. According to a copy of the court order posted by X, an Istanbul court mandated the restriction to protect national security and public order.

X stated, "Although Türkiye's laws force us to comply with the order, we are challenging the order in court and, in the spirit of full transparency, are sharing the court order." The platform also noted that failure to comply with such orders could lead to severe sanctions, including throttling of its services in Turkey.

This is not the first time Imamoglu's accounts have been targeted; in May 2025, his main X account with nearly 10 million followers was blocked in Turkey under a similar order. At that time, X filed a legal challenge against the restriction, which remains pending before the Constitutional Court.

Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the main opposition Republican People's Party, is widely regarded as the main challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 23-year rule. Imamoglu had his university degree revoked on March 18, 2025, and was arrested the following day on terrorism and misconduct charges. His trial began in March 2026, with prosecutors seeking a prison sentence totaling 2,430 years.

Elon Musk, who took control of X in 2022, has promoted the platform as a defender of free speech but has faced criticism for removing dedicated content moderation measures.

Sources