Arrest of Mayor Imamoglu Elon Musk's platform X apparently blocks accounts critical of the government in Turkey
In Turkey, thousands of people are taking to the streets to protest against the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul. According to reports, they cannot rely on X.
23.03.2025, 05.11 p.m.
In Turkey, numerous pages of feminist and student associations have reportedly been blocked on Platform X. According to the Turkish initiative to monitor Internet censorship Engelliweb, at least 85 accounts have been blocked since the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday. For example, the website of the important women's rights organization Mor Dayanisma was not available on Saturday.
Turkish cyber law expert Yaman Akdeniz criticized X owner Elon Musk. He explained that his platform will fight for people's right to freedom of expression, but arbitrarily censors hundreds of accounts of students and civil society, he wrote on the platform.
Arrests of users
According to the state news agency Anadolu, 56 social media users had been arrested by Saturday on charges of inciting riots. Since Imamoglu's arrest, thousands have taken to the streets in the country. The Internet is a central communication space for protests and criticism of the government.
Meanwhile, the news platform Medyascope reported that the pro-government broadcaster NTV had interrupted the broadcast of a speech by opposition leader Özgür Özel when he criticized pro-government media.
Imamoglu is considered a rival of head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu was arrested along with many other people on Wednesday, a few days before his planned nomination as the presidential candidate of the largest opposition party, the CHP.
He is accused of terrorism and corruption. Opposition members see the government behind it, which intends to eliminate a political competitor. In the meantime, he has also been suspended from the post of Istanbul mayor.
(Translated from German)
Elon Musk: Plattform X blockiert offenbar regierungskritische Seiten in der Türkei - DER SPIEGEL |
