Turkey Orders X To Restrict Account Of Erdogan Rival Ekrem Imamoglu Amid Candidacy Row
· Free Press Journal
X has confirmed that Turkish authorities ordered it to restrict access to the official Presidential Candidacy Office account of Ekrem Imamoglu, the detained Mayor of Istanbul and a leading rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The company said it is complying with the order under Turkish law while simultaneously challenging it in court.
What X has said
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In a statement, X said "X received an order to restrict access in Turkiye to the official Presidential Candidacy Office account of the now-detained Mayor of Istanbul." The company added that "Although Turkiye'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 order was issued by the Istanbul 8th Criminal Judgeship of Peace, numbered 2026/6804.
X received an order to restrict access in Türkiye to the official Presidential Candidacy Office account of the now-detained Mayor of Istanbul. 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,… pic.twitter.com/shbxPLYJHm
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 4, 2026
Background on Imamoglu's case
Imamoglu has been in detention for more than a year and is currently on trial alongside hundreds of co-defendants on corruption and espionage-related charges, which he and his supporters have described as politically motivated. His detention followed his party's strong performance in the 2024 local elections, after which Erdogan's government and the ruling AK Party intensified pressure on the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP. A separate court ruling earlier this year also annulled a CHP provincial congress, a move that affected the party's leadership structure.
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X noted this is not the first time it has been ordered to limit visibility of accounts linked to Imamoglu. The company said it received and complied with a similar order in May 2025 restricting access to a related account belonging to the Mayor, and that it challenged that order as well, issuing a public statement and sharing the court order at the time. X said its legal challenge against the May 2025 order remains pending before Turkiye's Constitutional Court, awaiting a decision following recent filings.
Why X complies despite its objections
X said that failing to comply with such orders can result in serious consequences, including throttling of the entire platform within Turkiye. The company said it complies with individual orders for this reason even as it contests them legally, arguing that keeping the platform accessible in the country matters for supporting free expression and access to information.
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X said it "will continue legally challenging requests to remove content in Turkiye and around the world when those requests do not align with principles of free expression, due process, or other local laws."