Turkey has blocked access to Instagram, according to the national communications authority BTK.
The decision, announced on Friday, follows criticism from a senior government official about the platform’s handling of content related to Hamas.
The block comes after Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency’s communications director, accused Instagram of “censoring” condolence posts regarding the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Altun claimed that Instagram had removed posts without citing specific policy violations and labeled the action as “censorship.”
Haniyeh, who was a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday along with his bodyguard.
Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for the attack, although Israel has not yet commented.
The BTK’s announcement did not provide details on the duration of the ban or the reasons behind it.
Turkish media reports indicate that Instagram has over 50 million users in Turkey. Many Turkish users expressed frustration on X (formerly Twitter) about the inability to access Instagram.
Yaman Akdeniz, a Turkish digital law expert, criticized the block as “arbitrary” and questioned the legality of the decision.
The ban has sparked reactions on other social media platforms, with memes and posts making light of the situation.
Meta Platforms Inc, the owner of Instagram, has not yet commented on the ban or Altun’s remarks.
Chioma Kalu
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