Ankara (Turkey), May 8 (LaPresse/AP) – Access to the X account of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, currently imprisoned, has been blocked in Turkey. The report comes from Engelli Web, a platform that monitors and reports internet censorship in Turkey. This marks the latest move against one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rivals. According to the platform, X restricted access to Imamoglu’s account within Turkey in compliance with a legal request from Turkish authorities, who cited national security and public order concerns. X has not commented, but a notice on the platform states that the account, which has 9.7 million followers, has been "blocked in Turkey in response to a legal request." The account remains accessible outside of Turkey. Imamoglu, seen as the leading opposition challenger to Erdogan’s 22-year rule, was arrested on March 19 and jailed on corruption charges. He was named presidential candidate by his party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), while in custody. Despite being detained, Imamoglu had remained active on social media. His lawyers are expected to appeal the legal restriction. Opposition politicians have criticized the move as an attack on freedom of expression in Turkey.
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