Turkey blocks Instagram amid ‘censorship’ row

Turkey has blocked access to Instagram, according to the national communications authority, following a top government official’s criticism of the social media platform for “censoring” Hamas-related content.

The communications authority BTK announced the block on Friday but did not provide an explanation for the decision or indicate the duration of the ban.

This action comes after Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency’s communications director, criticized the Meta-owned platform on Wednesday for allegedly blocking condolence posts about the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Altun described this as “censorship, pure and simple,” noting that Instagram had not cited any policy violations for blocking the content.

Altun asserted, “We will continue to defend freedom of expression against these platforms, which have repeatedly shown that they serve the global system of exploitation and injustice. We will stand by our Palestinian brothers at every opportunity and on every platform.”

Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas and a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday, along with his bodyguard. Hamas and Iran blamed Israel, which has not commented on the attack.

Turkish media report that over 50 million people in Turkey use Instagram, out of a population of 85 million. Many users took to X on Friday to express frustration over being unable to refresh their Instagram feeds.

Yaman Akdeniz, a Turkish digital law expert, wrote on X, “Access to Instagram was blocked (…) around 3:00 AM this morning following an administrative order. The decision was made either by the presidency or a ministry. The BTK must have its decision approved by a judge.” He added, “The censorship imposed on Instagram is arbitrary and can never have any explanation or justification. No judge should approve such a request.”

The issue led to mockery on other social media networks, including X. A meme showing a congested metro station with the tagline: “X when Turks wake up to find that Instagram is blocked,” began trending on the platform. Another user, “CringeOfMaster,” posted, “Instagram is blocked in Turkey, life is over,” alongside a picture of a grieving man. Others mockingly asked where Instagram users could now post their doctored images.

Meta Platforms Inc has not commented on the ban or Altun’s statements.