ANKARA — Access to major social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, was restricted across multiple networks in Turkey on Monday, according to a report from the global internet monitor Netblocks. The online disruption occurred as the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) called for rallies in Istanbul to protest a legal crackdown and police barricades set up around its headquarters.
According to data from Turkey’s Freedom of Expression Association, which monitors local internet censorship, access issues began at 2045 GMT on Sunday, with bandwidth being throttled for the affected platforms. Netblocks, an organization that tracks internet outages and censorship, confirmed the widespread restrictions on multiple networks.
The CHP has been at the center of a months-long legal crackdown that has seen hundreds of its members targeted. The latest actions began on Tuesday when a court ordered the removal of the party’s Istanbul provincial head over alleged irregularities in a 2023 congress. This follows the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in March, a move that triggered some of the largest street protests in Turkey in a decade. Imamoglu is considered a key political rival to President Tayyip Erdogan.
In response to the legal measures and police presence, the CHP urged its supporters to gather in Istanbul, describing the police barricades as a “siege.” CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel called on “all democrats and CHP members” to “protect the home of Ataturk in Istanbul,” referring to the party’s headquarters. The party has consistently denied all accusations against it, arguing that the legal actions are a politicized attempt by the government to weaken the opposition and eliminate electoral threats to President Erdogan.
The Access Providers Union of Turkey, which is responsible for implementing internet blocking decisions, has not yet commented on the restrictions. This is not the first time Turkey has throttled internet access during times of political unrest or crisis, a practice that has drawn criticism from international human rights organizations and digital freedom advocates.