Jailed Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu's X account blocked in Turkey

Access to the X account of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, has been blocked in Turkey in response to a legal demand, a message on his social media account said on Thursday.

Police detained Imamoglu on March 19, triggering Turkey's largest protests in a decade. He was jailed four days later pending trial on corruption charges that he denies.

Critics of Erdogan and his government have called the arrest politicised and anti-democratic. Imamoglu's Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey's main opposition, has called it "a coup against our next president". Erdogan's government rejects the criticism and says the judiciary is independent.

Imamoglu's X account has nearly 10 million followers. On Thursday the message "Account withheld" appeared, explaining that it was blocked in Turkey in response to a legal demand.

X said it was complying with a Turkish court order to block Imamoglu's account, but had filed a legal challenge because it believes keeping the platform accessible in Turkey is vital to supporting freedom of expression and access to information.

"Lack of compliance with these orders can lead to severe sanctions, including throttling of the entire platform in Türkiye," its global government affairs division said on X.

Istanbul prosecutors opened an investigation into an April 24 post on Imamoglu's account on the grounds that it may constitute incitement to commit a crime, the presidential communication's directorate said in a statement on X.

In a post on that date, Imamoglu condemned his arrest and a wider judicial crackdown on the opposition, calling on the nation to complain and "raise your voice".

Prosecutors requested that access to Imamoglu's X account be blocked in Turkey until his pre-trial detention ends and an Istanbul court subsequently decided to enforce the block, the presidential office added.

X shared its objection, filed to an Istanbul court, to the decision to block access saying it was disproportionate and violated Turkish laws, according to the document.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel told reporters after meeting Imamoglu in prison that blocking the mayor's X account was the "digital pillar of the coup", and added Imamoglu's messages from prison would be posted on a different X account.

Opinion polls show that popular support for Imamoglu has risen since his arrest, extending his lead over Erdogan, reinforcing the view that he would be Erdogan's main rival in the next presidential election, not due until 2028.