Alleged incitement to crime: Türkiye blocks X-account of imprisoned Imamoglu

Turkish authorities are already doing everything they can to exclude President Erdogan's fiercest rival from the election. Now, Imamoglu's X account has been blocked in Turkey. Allegedly, it was used to incite criminal activity. Since his arrest, his team has been regularly informing his followers via the channel.

The account of the imprisoned and deposed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on the online platform X has been blocked in Turkey. The Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated an investigation against Imamoglu following a post on his X page in April, according to a statement from the Turkish Directorate of Communications. He is accused of publicly inciting a crime. Imamoglu's profile is still accessible from other countries, including Germany.

Messages from Imamoglu repeatedly reached the public via the account. Because Imamoglu is in pre-trial detention and his posts "harm public peace," a request for a temporary suspension of his X-account was filed with the criminal court, the statement added. Imamoglu himself is not currently operating the account. An Istanbul court ordered the access suspension because it is not possible to block individual content. The suspension will remain in place until the end of his pre-trial detention.

Suspicion of corruption against Imamoglu

X appealed the decision. "Although we complied with Turkey's order regarding the account, we disagree with the order and are challenging it in court," it said in a statement . "We believe that maintaining access to the platform in Turkey is critical for freedom of expression and access to information, especially after natural disasters and other emergencies."

The arrest and subsequent detention of the since-deposed mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has plunged Turkey into its most serious crisis in years. İmamoğlu was taken into custody on March 19 in connection with corruption and terrorism investigations; he is currently in pre-trial detention on corruption charges. Critics accuse the government of using the judiciary to eliminate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's biggest rival.

Since then, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in regular mass protests. Numerous people demonstrated again in Istanbul on Wednesday – this time in front of the university that had revoked Imamoglu's degree shortly before his arrest.