Elon Musk’s X Blocks Opposition Voices in Turkey as Civil Unrest Spreads

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has suspended multiple accounts belonging to opposition figures in Turkey as protests intensify over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The move has sparked concerns about censorship, especially given Musk’s claim that he acquired X to promote free speech.

Background: A political crisis unfolds

The unrest erupted after İmamoğlu, a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested earlier this week. His arrest came just hours before he was set to be nominated as the presidential candidate for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The Turkish government has responded by banning public gatherings for four days, but demonstrations have continued to spread, particularly at universities.

Observers report that many of the suspended accounts belonged to university-based activists sharing protest information. “The majority of the suspended accounts were university-associated activist accounts, basically sharing protest information, locations for students to go,” Yusuf Can, a coordinator and analyst at the Wilson Center's Middle East Program, told POLITICO.

Selective suspensions raise concerns

While some accounts have been fully suspended, others appear to be restricted only within Turkey. Activist Ömer Faruk Aslan claimed his account was blocked after his tweets about the protests reached over six million views. He has since created a second account to continue posting.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya defended the suspensions, stating that authorities had identified 326 social media accounts inciting hatred, including 72 based abroad. Yerlikaya added that a coordinated effort between cyber and security officials led to the arrest of 54 individuals linked to these accounts.

Legal but controversial

Under Turkish law, the government can request social media restrictions, and a 2022 law grants authorities broad powers to suppress online content. This is not the first time X has complied with Turkish government orders. During Erdoğan’s re-election campaign in 2023, the platform restricted certain content, saying it was necessary to keep X available in the country.

The latest suspensions raise questions about Musk’s commitment to free speech. While he has often criticized government censorship, his platform continues to comply with restrictive laws in countries like Turkey.