, hours after a Turkish court order to block the account following an earlier ban on his main X handle.){kind=link}
Jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the opposition’s presidential candidate, posted a defiant message from his international X account on Saturday, hours after Turkish authorities issued a court order to block the account in Turkey, following an earlier ban on his main X handle.
İmamoğlu’s main X account was blocked in Turkey on May 8 following a court decision that deemed one of his prison messages a national security threat.
The İstanbul mayor was arrested in March, and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) declared him its presidential candidate shortly thereafter. He is currently being held in Silivri Prison on charges widely criticized as politically motivated.
After the ban on his main account, İmamoğlu’s campaign and the CHP designated his international account, @imamoglu_int, as the new official channel for campaign updates.
CHP leader Özgür Özel had publicly urged supporters to follow the alternate account, which remained accessible in Turkey as of Saturday morning.
Ekrem İmamoğlu's international X account @imamoglu_int was blocked pursuant to Article 8/A of Law No. 5651, citing the protection of national security and public order. @GlobalAffairs has not yet withheld the account in Türkiye. https://t.co/QsUYGDc7eG pic.twitter.com/QGgasn0Lwv
— EngelliWeb (@engelliweb) May 9, 2025
Digital rights group EngelliWeb reported Friday night that a Turkish court has now also issued an access ban for İmamoğlu’s international X account, although the platform has not yet enforced the order.
The specific court issuing the decision was not disclosed, but the ban has already been circulated to Turkish internet service providers, suggesting imminent enforcement.
The EngelliWeb platform said the court’s justification was based on Turkey’s Law No. 5651, which allows the blocking of online content that allegedly threatens national security or public order.
Shortly after news of the second ban broke, İmamoğlu posted from the still-active @imamoglu_int account, condemning what he called a coordinated effort to silence his campaign.
They blocked one account, now they’re after another.
This panic shows just one thing: they fear our voice.
But they forget—there are millions of us, standing for justice and democracy. The more they try to silence us, the louder we become.
Follow our official campaign account…
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (International) (@imamoglu_int) May 10, 2025
“They blocked one account, now they’re after another,” the post read.
“This panic shows just one thing: they fear our voice. But they forget — there are millions of us, standing for justice and democracy. The more they try to silence us, the louder we become.”
He urged followers to stay connected through a new campaign account set up after the initial access ban.
The moves to block İmamoğlu’s accounts come amid a wave of digital censorship following his arrest, which triggered the largest protests in Turkey since the Gezi Park demonstrations in 2013.
On April 2, an İstanbul court ordered the blocking of 52 X accounts and 261 individual posts related to the nationwide protests that erupted after his detention.
On May 8, X complied with a second Turkish court order and blocked İmamoğlu’s main account, which had 9.7 million followers, citing a April 24 post made from prison.
X said it complied with the order to avoid further sanctions, including potential throttling of the platform, but added that it is appealing the decision.
Critics argue that the platform’s compliance with Turkish legal demands has allowed the government to suppress opposition voices.
Although the court orders are officially restricted to Turkey, rights groups warn that X’s algorithmic behavior reduces the global visibility of censored accounts even outside the country.
The Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD) and EngelliWeb have documented a sharp rise in government takedown orders since early 2025, many targeting journalists, activists and opposition figures in exile.
İmamoğlu’s case has become a flashpoint in the growing debate over transnational digital repression and the responsibility of global platforms to resist authoritarian censorship.