Opposition Protests Persist Despite Government Ban
Demonstrations led by opposition groups continue to grow, even though the government has prohibited public gatherings for four days.
A significant portion of the protests is taking place at universities, with many activists now facing account suspensions on X, observers report.
“The majority of the suspended accounts belong to university-affiliated activists who were primarily sharing protest details and gathering points for students,” said Yusuf Can, a coordinator and analyst at the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program. According to Can, these suspended accounts mostly belong to grassroots activists with relatively small followings.
Some accounts appear to be restricted only within Turkey, while remaining accessible elsewhere. Activist Ömer Faruk Aslan, for instance, created a backup account after his original profile was blocked by a court order. “Yesterday, my account was blocked because my tweets had exceeded 6 million views,” he posted.
Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on X that authorities had identified 326 social media accounts inciting unrest, 72 of which were based outside Turkey. A coordinated operation between cyber and security forces resulted in the detention of 54 individuals allegedly connected to these accounts, Yerlikaya stated.
These account suspensions are likely legal under Turkish law, which permits government-requested restrictions. A 2022 social media regulation grants officials broad authority to suppress online content.













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