Instagram, WhatsApp, other platforms restricted in Turkey amid opposition's call for rallies

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) called for rallies after police erected barricades in areas around its headquarters in Istanbul.

Updated on: Sep 8, 2025, 12:32:41 IST

By HT News Desk

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Access to online platforms including X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and WhatsApp has been restricted in Turkey on multiple networks, global internet monitor Netblocks said on Monday.

Members of the police block the road leading to the Istanbul provincial office of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) (REUTERS)

According to Netblocks, the access blockage comes as the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) called for rallies after police erected barricades in areas around the party's headquarters in Istanbul.

Data from Turkey's Freedom of Expression Association, cited in a Reuters report, suggested that access issues began at 2045 GMT on Sunday, with bandwidth being throttled for the platforms.

Freedom of Expression Association monitors local censorship on the internet.

Turkey's Access Providers Union, which implements internet blocking decisions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the access restrictions.

Turkey's main opposition CHP urged people in Istanbul to gather on Sunday, terming as “seige” the police barricades set up in areas around its headquarters in the city.

The CHP has been hit by a months-long legal crackdown, which has targeted hundreds of its members - including Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival - whose March arrest triggered Turkey's largest street protests in a decade.

Denying all accusations against it, the CHP has said the legal measures are politicised attempts at eliminating electoral threats against Erdogan and weakening the opposition.

The latest actions against the CHP began on Tuesday when a court ordered the removal of the party's Istanbul provincial head over alleged irregularities in a 2023 congress.

Speaking at a CHP event in Istanbul, party's chairman Ozgur Ozel called on Turks to come together against the court decision and the crackdown on his party.

"From here, I invite all democrats and CHP members whom my words and voice reach to, to protect the home of Ataturk in Istanbul," Reuters quoted Ozel as saying, referring to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey's founder.

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