37 detained over provocative social media posts on İmamoğlu’s detention

ANKARA

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

Turkish authorities have initiated legal proceedings against hundreds of accounts that posted incendiary content regarding the investigations into Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, detaining 37 individuals, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on March 20.

İmamoğlu, a leading figure from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was detained on March 19 on allegations of aiding a terrorist organization and engaging in corruption.

A new investigation has been launched targeting individuals who disseminated provocative content on social media concerning the operation, Yerlikaya said on X.

Authorities identified 261 suspicious account managers who made provocative posts, Yerlikaya stated.

He further emphasized that the provocative posts are being evaluated under the charges of “incitement to hatred and enmity” and “provocation to commit a crime.”

Some 62 of the identified account administrators are located abroad, the minister said.

The cybercrime unit determined the identities of 37 individuals, who have since been taken into custody.

The minister affirmed that efforts to apprehend other suspects remain ongoing.

Over 18.6 million posts have been shared on X as of 6 a.m. on March 20 since İmamoğlu’s detention on March 19, according to Yerlikaya.

Twenty-four of these posts were generated by bot accounts.

The large-scale operation, which saw İmamoğlu and 86 others detained, has reverberated across the country. Meanwhile, bandwidth throttling measures targeting Istanbul’s internet infrastructure remain in place.

Numerous social media users in Istanbul continue to report persistent access issues.