Aug 4 - 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. REUTERS

X says Turkish court ordered block of Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu's candidacy account