Ekrem Imamoglu. Credit Line: Tolga Ildun / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Ekrem Imamoglu, the arrested mayor of Istanb and the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, can no longer send messages to Turkey to his 9.7 million followers on the X. His account is still accessible abroad, reports the BBC.
His posts on social networks were his main communication tool with his supporters. Also, the mayor used the opposite to keep his case in public attention.
He posted daily, sending messages from prison through his lawyers. “It is as if the authorities want to make him disappear,” a commentator said.
The Republican Party of the People (CHP), the main opposition party in Turkey, of which Imamoglu is a part, told the BBC that the blocking of the account is a continuation of the “coup attempt on March 19”, when the politician was arrested.
“Now I can not even talk to the public,” said CHP Secretary General Selin Sayek Boke. “This clearly shows the fear of the leadership that they will lose power. It is a coup attempt against the next election.”
Opinion polls indicate that Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been elected mayor of the largest city in Turkey three times, will win the presidential election if he could run. The following presidential elections should not take place before 2028.
On Thursday, a message from his account said that he was blocked due to a legal request, although he is still available in Turkey by using a virtual private network (VPN).
A lawyer representing the X platform said he filed an appeal against the prohibition, at the request of the social media platform.
Repression against opposition
Prosecutors in Istanbul are investigating a post from Imamoglu's account, on the grounds that this could be an incite to committing crimes, according to the President's Communication Bureau.
In that post last month, the mayor condemned his arrest and a wider repression of the opposition and appealed to the nation to complain and “raise the voice”.
The mayor of Istanbul is behind the graces of March for accusations of corruption, which he denied. He is incarcerated in the high security prison Marmara in Silivri, on the outskirts of the city where he was elected.
About 100 people were arrested with him, including municipal officials and members of his party. Dozens of other people have been arrested since then, including his lawyers and lawyers who represent these lawyers
