Turkey bans Instagram over condolence post

ANKARA: Turkey blocked Instagram nationwide, following Instagram’s removal of posts honouring Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who recently died.

The Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) announced the ban on Friday.

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The Instagram app is now inaccessible in Turkey. Authorities did not provide detailed reasons for the block but criticised Instagram for deleting the condolence posts.

Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Ömer Fatih Sayan stated that Instagram did not handle Turkish issues with the same sensitivity as it does in Western countries. He demanded that Instagram offer a fair content mechanism in Turkey similar to its practices elsewhere.

Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu accused Instagram of violating local laws and norms. He said the ban would stay in place until Instagram complies with Turkish regulations.

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Turkey has over 50 million users. The country is observing a day of mourning for Haniyeh. Unlike other nations, Turkey does not label Hamas as a terrorist organisation.