Imamoglu, who is the main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, can no longer send messages in Turkey to his 9.7 million followers on X. His account is still accessible abroad. His social media feed has been his main tool for communicating with his supporters and keeping himself in the public eye.

Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is fighting a series of legal battles on charges of corruption, insulting officials and terrorism links amid a widening crackdown on the opposition in Turkey.