The American social network has more than 50 million subscribers in Turkey, out of 85 million inhabitants, according to local media.
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Turkey woke up on Sunday, August 4, still deprived of Instagram, AFP noted. The decision to block access to the social network was announced Friday morning by the Turkish Information and Communications Technology Authority (BTK), without explanation. The BTK’s decision refers to a regulation that allows blocking “criminal content”without giving further details. It follows accusations of censorship from a senior Turkish official against the American platform.
“Our country has values and sensitivities. Despite our warnings, they did not take into consideration the criminal content. We imposed a ban on access. When they respect our laws, the ban will be lifted.”said Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu. Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun had sharply criticized Instagram on Wednesday, saying the platform “prevents people from posting messages of condolence for the martyrdom of [chef du Hamas Ismaïl] Haniyeh”killed in Iran in an assassination attributed to Israel.
The social-democratic CHP party and the right-wing nationalist Iyi Parti, as well as the Ankara Bar Association, filed a lawsuit Friday night seeking to overturn the ban. According to Turkish media, Instagram has more than 50 million subscribers in Turkey, out of a population of 85 million. Turkish authorities have repeatedly resorted in recent years to temporarily blocking certain social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, generally after attacks.
