A wave of account suspensions on X has drawn criticism as Turkey faces intensifying anti-government protests. Many of the affected users are affiliated with opposition movements, especially those mobilizing around universities and sharing protest information.
These bans emerged in the wake of a politically explosive arrest: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, President Erdoğan’s chief rival, was detained shortly before his official nomination as the presidential candidate for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The arrest triggered immediate and widespread demonstrations across major Turkish cities.
Though Turkish authorities responded with a ban on public gatherings, unrest has continued unabated. Now, the digital sphere is facing its own crackdown. Numerous grassroots organizers report being locked out of their X accounts — an alarming development on a platform whose billionaire owner claims to champion free speech above all else.
Yusuf Can, a Middle East analyst at the Wilson Center, described the majority of these suspensions as targeting “university-associated activist accounts, basically sharing protest information, locations for students to go.” According to him, these aren’t major influencers but “grassroots activists” with relatively small followings.
While some accounts have been completely removed, others appear to be only hidden from Turkish users—raising suspicions of region-specific censorship.
The Turkish government, meanwhile, has been actively pursuing what it calls “incitement” online. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the identification of 326 social media accounts allegedly spreading “hatred.”
Turkey’s legal framework enables this kind of digital suppression. A controversial 2022 law allows authorities broad latitude to block content and suspend users. While such takedowns may technically adhere to local laws, critics argue the legislation itself is designed to silence dissent.
While X is complying with the government censorship orders, in a statement the company did say that it objects to the orders from the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority to “block over 700 accounts of news organizations, journalists, political figures, students, and others within Türkiye.”
The company added that, “Providing a platform committed to defending everyone’s right to free speech is paramount at X, and we believe this decision from the Turkish government is not only unlawful, it hinders millions of Turkish users from news and political discourse in their country.”
The company also said that it looks forward to defending these principles through the legal system.
This isn’t the first time Musk’s platform has cooperated with Erdoğan’s government. In 2023, during a heated election season, X restricted access to certain content in Turkey, citing the need to “ensure Twitter remains available to the people of Turkey,” according to the company’s official government affairs account. Musk defended the move by saying, “the choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets.”
