Turkish authorities yesterday blocked access to the account of Istanbul's jailed opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on social media platform X, where he has nearly 10 million followers.

The arrest of Imamoglu -- seen as the biggest rival to longtime leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- on March 19 sparked mass street protests in his support.

The arrest, on corruption charges that Imamoglu denies, could stop him taking part in presidential elections scheduled for 2028.

It was not possible to view his X account yesterday morning. A message read: "Account Withheld -- @ekrem_imamoglu has been withheld in TR (Turkey) in response to a legal demand."