Türkiye blocks access to Instagram
Türkiye blocks access to Instagram (Getty Images)
Türkiye has blocked access to Instagram. The reasons and timing of the ban have not yet been announced, reports Reuters.
The information technology regulator announced the block on Friday, August 2, without specifying the reason or duration of the ban, which also made the platform's mobile application unavailable.
According to the media, this step was taken after comments from the head of the Communications Directorate of the Turkish Presidential Administration, Fahrettin Altun, made on Wednesday, July 31,
He criticized the platform for its decision to block condolence posts after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas.
“This is censorship, pure and simple,” Altun said, adding that Instagram did not cite any policy violations in its actions.
There was no comment from Meta.
Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh
The leader of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and one of his bodyguards were killed in a blast at his residence in Tehran.
Initially, it was reported that a rocket attack on the residence killed him. Later, the media found out that Haniyeh was killed in a guest house as a result of a bomb explosion, not a missile strike.
Iran threatened a “harsh punishment” for the assassination of the Hamas leader. US President Joe Biden reaffirmed Washington's readiness to support Israel's defense against terrorist Islamic movements in the Middle East.
