Access to several major social media and messaging platforms has been restricted in Turkey following calls for rallies by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), according to a global internet monitoring group.
The group said the restrictions appeared to coincide with the CHP’s calls for public gatherings after police erected barricades around the CHP’s provincial headquarters in Istanbul.
Data from Turkey’s Freedom of Expression Association, which monitors digital censorship, said that bandwidth throttling of platforms began at 8:45 p.m. local time on Sept. 7 and has persisted into Sept. 8.
In addition to the platforms highlighted by NetBlocks, the group reported that Telegram and Signal were also affected.
The Epoch Times contacted Turkey’s Access Providers Union, the body tasked with implementing blocking decisions, but did not receive a response by publication time.
The restrictions mark the latest escalation between the government and the opposition.
After his court appearance, Imamoglu, who rejects all charges against him, called on supporters to stage nationwide demonstrations. Erdogan responded by warning that “disturbances of public order” would not be tolerated, as protests spread across multiple cities.
Since October 2024, police have detained more than 500 people in investigations targeting CHP-run municipalities, with more than 200 still in jail awaiting trial.
The Interior Ministry said on March 24 that more than 1,100 people across Turkey had been taken into custody for participating in unauthorized protests.
More than 700 individual X accounts, including those belonging to journalists, media outlets, civil society organizations, and student groups, were blocked, according to the Media and Law Studies Association.CHP’s Istanbul Standoff
The disruptions came after police set up barricades around the CHP’s Istanbul provincial headquarters on Sept. 7, prompting the party to accuse the government of attempting to “lay siege” to its offices.“Our Provincial Directorate is the ancestral home of members of the Republican People’s Party; blockading our home is a trespass,“ Ozel said. ”The people expect statesmanship from you, not a perception management operation. Do your job, abide by the law, and get out of our house immediately. I’m doing my part to prevent anyone from getting hurt, and you should too.”
Last week, a court ordered the removal of the CHP’s Istanbul provincial head, citing alleged irregularities in a 2023 party congress.
Ozel condemned the decision as illegitimate and politically motivated, telling supporters that the CHP would resist attempts to install a government-appointed interim leadership in its Istanbul branch.
“Shame on those who have put our home under police siege, who brought police special forces to our Istanbul provincial headquarters ... to those trying to cancel our Istanbul provincial congress via unauthorised courts and seat an appointee there,” he said.
He warned that ignoring judicial orders and calling people into the streets amounted to challenging the law.
“No one is above the law,“ Yerlikaya said on X. ”The state will resolutely take necessary action against any unlawful attempt. We will never allow the disruption of public order and the peace of our nation, or the provocation of the streets, by issuing street calls.”
