X Says Türkiye Restricted Access to Istanbul Mayor’s Account, Moves Court Against Order
X has said it received a Turkish court order restricting access in Türkiye to the official Presidential Candidacy Office account of detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The platform said it complied with the order due to local laws but is challenging the decision in court. X argued that such restrictions affect freedom of expression and access to information, while sharing the court order publicly.
Social media platform X said it has received a court order from Türkiye restricting access within the country to the official Presidential Candidacy Office account of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is currently detained. The company said it complied with the order due to Turkish legal requirements but has challenged the decision in court.
The platform said the order requires X to block access in Türkiye to content that remains available in other parts of the world. X argued that such restrictions raise concerns over freedom of expression and access to information. X Withholds Parody and Activist Accounts in India After Legal Orders, Sparks Censorship Debate.
X Says Türkiye Restricted Access to Istanbul Mayor’s Account
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
X Shares Court Order and Begins Legal Challenge
In a statement, X said: “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, are sharing the court order.”
The company shared details of the order issued by the Istanbul 8th Criminal Judgeship of Peace under case number 2026/6804. X said it will continue pursuing legal action against requests that it believes conflict with principles of free expression, due process or applicable laws. Telegram’s X Post Goes Viral After ‘Reports of My Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated’ Remark Following Apple App Store Removal.
Previous Restriction Order Remains Before Constitutional Court
X said the latest order follows a similar restriction issued in May 2025 involving another account linked to the Istanbul mayor.
The company said it had previously complied with that order, publicly disagreed with the decision, challenged it legally and released the related court documents.
According to X, its challenge against the earlier order remains pending before Türkiye’s Constitutional Court following recent legal submissions.
X Warns of Broader Platform Restrictions
X said failure to comply with Turkish court orders could result in serious penalties, including restrictions affecting the wider platform.
“These orders require X to block content in Türkiye that is available in the rest of the world,” the company said.
The platform added that non-compliance could trigger sanctions, including throttling of the entire service in Türkiye.
X said it considers maintaining access to the platform in Türkiye important for supporting public discussion and access to information.
Platform Says It Will Continue Legal Challenges
The company said it will continue challenging government requests around the world when it believes they do not meet standards related to free expression, due process or other legal protections.
“X will continue legally challenging requests to remove content in Türkiye and around the world when those requests do not align with principles of free expression, due process, or other local laws,” the company said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 05, 2026 11:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
