Turkish media censor, Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), announced today that access to Instagram had been blocked in Turkey effective immediately. The regulator neither provided any formal explanation, nor specified whether the ban was temporary or permanent.
Apparently, the ban was triggered by the platform’s alleged “censorship” in relation to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The head of Turkey’s communications, Fahrettin Altun, lambasted the Meta-owned platform earlier this week regarding its reaction to the liquidation of Haniyeh. The militant group’s chief was killed in a targeted bombing in Tehran on Wednesday, with both Hamas and Iran alleging that Israel was behind the attack.
Israel has not confirmed or denied its involvement but has consistently pledged to eliminate terrorists that pose a threat to the Jewish state.
Altun expressed strong disapproval of Instagram, alleging that it had hindered individuals from sharing condolences on Haniyeh’s “martyrdom” without providing any justification.
As of February 2024, the total number of Instagram users in Turkey, a country with a population of 83 million, was approximately 58 million, according to the most recent data. It is possible though for an individual to have more than one account on the platform.
Turkey has imposed temporary bans on several social media platforms on multiple occasions in the past. In 2014, the government restricted access to Twitter and YouTube for periods of two weeks and two months, respectively, following the circulation of leaked videos allegedly revealing high-level governmental corruption.
Wikipedia also faced bans in Turkey in 2017 and 2020 due to an article that labeled the nation as a supporter of various terrorist organizations. In 2019, Turkey’s Constitutional Court determined that these actions infringed upon human rights and mandated the removal of the bans.
