Turkey has blocked access to Instagram, affecting its 85 million citizens, following a decision by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) on August 2, 2024. The move comes after accusations that the Meta-owned platform removed posts related to the death of Ismail Haniyeh, a senior leader of Hamas.
The Turkish government did not specify the duration of the ban or provide a detailed reason for it. However, local media reports suggest that the restriction was implemented in response to Instagram’s removal of posts expressing condolences for Haniyeh, who was killed in a blast in Tehran. The incident has been attributed to an assassination by Israeli forces, though Israel has not commented on the matter.
Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political wing, was visiting Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president when the blast occurred. Both Iranian officials and Hamas have accused Israel of orchestrating the assassination.
In response to the removal of condolence posts, Turkish officials, including Fahrettin Altun, head of Turkey’s presidential communications, have criticized Instagram, labeling the action as censorship. Altun emphasized Turkey’s stance on defending freedom of speech and condemned the platform for its decision.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu stated that Instagram’s ban was due to non-compliance with Turkish laws and rules. He mentioned that Turkey had warned Instagram about certain offenses and required the platform to adhere to local legal standards and public sensitivities. Uraloglu indicated that the ban would be lifted once Instagram addressed these shortcomings, although he did not provide specifics on the required corrections.
This development highlights the ongoing tensions between Turkey and social media platforms over content regulation and censorship. Unlike the United States and many Western allies, Turkey does not designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. The Turkish government has historically been critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the Palestinian territories, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has referred to Hamas as liberation fighters.
