Prominent Turkish comedian Cem Yılmaz has deactivated his account on X and joined rival social media platform Bluesky amid backlash over his initial silence regarding the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and rising concerns over censorship in Turkey.
Yılmaz, who had about 16.3 million followers on X, faced criticism for failing to support the youth-led anti-government protests that erupted following İmamoğlu’s detention and subsequent arrest last month.
The mayor, widely viewed as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political opponent, was arrested on corruption charges on March 23 that many see as politically motivated. His detention has sparked the largest protests in Turkey since 2013.
Yılmaz was also slammed for not supporting a boycott initiated by İmamoğlu’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), targeting pro-government companies and media outlets.
After days of silence, he responded to criticism on X, saying he would post on social media whenever he chose to and rebuked some of his followers. He later criticized the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) for sanctioning actors who publicly supported the boycott.
“I deactivated my X account. I suggest that to everyone,” Yılmaz wrote on Bluesky on Sunday. By Monday his follower count on Bluesky had exceeded 44,000.
In the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election, the comedian publicly endorsed former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who lost to Erdoğan in a runoff.
Artists and public figures in Turkey frequently face professional repercussions — including blacklisting, canceled performances and terminated contracts — after criticizing the government or expressing support for the opposition. Many choose to remain silent to avoid these consequences, drawing criticism from their fans.
Growing censorship on X
Yılmaz’s departure from X comes as the Turkish government intensifies its crackdown on dissent, particularly on social media.
In late March, X said Turkish authorities had issued court orders to block more than 700 user accounts since İmamoğlu’s detention on March 19. The company called the orders “unlawful” and pledged to contest them in court.
X has since filed a legal challenge with Turkey’s Constitutional Court over a government order to block access to 126 user accounts linked to the protests. While the legal filing addresses only those 126 accounts, the total number of blocked accounts is believed to be in the hundreds.
Last week the accounts of actors Rojda Demirer and Alican Yücesoy were also blocked following their public support for the boycott, based on court rulings.
The developments prompted CHP leader Özgür Özel to call on X to resist government pressure and uphold free expression. In a public statement he urged X’s Turkey office and its Global Government Affairs division to reconsider their compliance with what he described as “anti-democratic” demands.
“X has blocked access to hundreds of accounts, thinking it will go unnoticed,” Özel wrote. “If you become a tool for anti-democratic practices today, if you implement access ban demands, think carefully about what this nation will do to you!”
Under Elon Musk’s ownership, X has faced criticism for complying with censorship requests from authoritarian regimes, with Turkey ranking among the top countries seeking account suspensions and content removals.
The latest wave of account blocks follows a broader trend of X complying with Ankara’s escalating crackdown on dissent. In recent months the platform has enforced Turkish court orders to restrict access to hundreds of accounts, including those belonging to journalists, activists and media organizations in Turkey and in exile.