Several parliamentary deputies and politicians belonging to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of President Aleksandar Vucic say Twitter has blocked their accounts.
"Twitter just suspended my account on which I had 34,000 followers, without explanation," Arnaud Gouillon, director of the Serbian Foreign Ministry's Directorate for Cooperation With the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, confirmed in a post on Facebook on August 19.
Some 13 members of the SNS said their accounts also were blocked, including the Belgrade city manager, Miroslav Cuckovic, and Slavisa Micanovic, who reportedly leads the Internet team of the SNS.
Responding to an RFE/RL inquiry, a Twitter spokesperson said: "In this instance, we took enforcement action on a number of accounts in error and these have been reinstated."
"It is our top priority to protect the health of the conversation on Twitter. We continue to enforce our rules judiciously and impartially for all accounts that engage in behaviors that violate the Twitter Rules in line with our range of enforcement options," the spokesperson said on August 19.
Gouillon's Facebook post showed a notification from Twitter saying the account was "permanently suspended" because the social media company determined it had "broke the Twitter Rules."
It added that the account will now be available in "read-only" mode, meaning the user cannot post, like, or retweet content from others. The user can appeal the ruling, it said.
Gouillon was born in France and is known for his ties to the extreme right.
In 2004, he founded the NGO Solidarity For Kosovo, which helps ethnic Serbs in the country. He has held a Serbian passport since 2015.
