Aug 4 (Reuters) – Social media platform X said on Tuesday it was complying with a Turkish court order to block access in the country to jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s presidential candidacy office account, but was challenging the order in court.
• An Istanbul court ordered X to restrict access to Imamoglu’s account, which has around 225,700 followers, to protect national security and public order, according to a copy of the order posted by X.
• X said Turkish law required it to implement the restriction, but that it disagreed with the order and had started legal proceedings.
• Police detained Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, on March 19, 2025, triggering Turkey’s largest protests in more than a decade. Imamoglu remains in jail pending trial on charges ranging from graft to espionage and terrorism, which he strongly denies.
• Imamoglu was elected as the Republican People’s Party’s presidential candidate in an internal party vote days after his detention in March 2025. His university diploma, which is a requirement for being a presidential candidate, was annulled by Istanbul University a day before he was detained.
• Imamoglu’s main X account, which had nearly 10 million followers, was blocked in Turkey in May 2025 under a similar order. X also filed a legal challenge against that order, arguing against the restriction.
• Under billionaire owner Elon Musk, X has often portrayed itself as a defender of free speech, though the platform says it complies with valid local laws in countries where it operates while seeking to challenge some orders through the courts.
(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
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