Türkiye wants more than 700 X accounts blocked: platform

People light flares as they protest against the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Türkiye’s authorities, faced with a mass opposition movement following the detention of the opposition mayor of Istanbul, have called for the closure of more than 700 accounts on X, the online platform said Sunday.

“We object to multiple court orders from the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority to block over 700 accounts of news organizations, journalists, political figures, students, and others within Turkiye,” its communications team said in a statement.

“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. We look forward to defending these principles through the legal system. X will always defend freedom of speech everywhere we operate,” the company said.