Turkiye blocks access to Instagram; it's in response to removal of posts on Hamas chief: Reports
Ankara, Aug 2: Turkiye's communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday, the latest instance of a clampdown on websites in the country.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which regulates the internet, announced the decision early Friday but did not provide a reason.
Yeni Safak newspaper, which is close to the government, and other media said access was blocked in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“Sanctions for Instagram's blackout policy were swift. The Information Technologies and Communication Authority blocked access to Instagram,” Yeni Safak stated in its online edition.
Earlier, Fahrettin Altun, the presidential communications director and aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had strongly criticized the Meta-owned platform for preventing users in Turkiye from posting messages of condolences for Haniyeh.
The transportation and infrastructure minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, maintained that Instagram had ignored “sensitivities” and was in breach of a so-called inventory of serious crimes, which include incitement to suicide, torture, obscenity, crimes against the state's security and child sexual abuse, among others. He did not elaborate which particular crime the platform is alleged to have breached.
“When they don't abide by laws and our regulations and don't take our societal sensitivities into consideration, we are obliged to make the necessary interventions,” he said.
The minister said Turkish authorities were in contact with Instagram's representative in Turkiye.
“When they fulfill the requirements, we will lift the ban,” he said.
Uraloglu's deputy, Omer Fatih Sayan, wrote on X: “We will do what is needed to establish a social media that respects our values, is free of disinformation, and is cleaner and more secure.”
There was no immediate comment from Instagram, which has over 50 million users in Turkiye, a nation with a population of 85 million.
The country is observing a day of mourning for Haniyeh on Friday, during which flags are being flown at half-staff.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and a member of Turkiye's main opposition party, denounced the decision to block Instagram, accusing the communications authority of acting like a “censorship unit.”
“Social media is a platform that everyone uses for many purposes, including for commerce and communicating,” Imamoglu wrote on X. “It is unacceptable that a platform used by the entire country is arbitrarily shut down one morning.”
Turkiye has a track record of censoring social media and websites. Hundreds of thousands of domains have been blocked since 2022, according to the Freedom of Expression Association, a non-profit organisation regrouping lawyers and human rights activists. The video-sharing platform YouTube was blocked from 2007 to 2010.
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Karnataka Women’s Commission seeks action against senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka State Commission for Women has sought immediate action against the Director General of Police (Civil Rights Enforcement) K Ramachandra Rao after alleged audio and video clips showing him engaging in obscene acts while in uniform inside his official chamber went viral.
The commission has called for a transparent inquiry, suspension from service and strict action under a zero-tolerance policy.
In the letters to the Karnataka Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police on Monday night, the commission said it had taken serious note of visuals aired by television channels that purportedly showed Rao engaging in indecent behaviour with women while in uniform inside his office.
“The State Commission for Women has taken a very serious note of the visuals telecast on state news channels showing an IPS officer… indulging in obscene behaviour and acting in a manner amounting to sexual assault against women inside his office, while he was in uniform,” the letter said.
According to the Commission, such conduct by a senior police officer, who is expected to ensure the safety of women, sends a wrong message to society and creates a negative sentiment among women in the state.
The incident also attracts provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
Seeking swift action, the commission requested that a transparent inquiry be ordered immediately, the officer be placed under suspension, and a report on the action taken be submitted within seven days.
It also urged the authorities to initiate strict action to uphold the dignity and honour of women by following a zero-tolerance approach.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his government has initiated disciplinary action against Rao and placed him under suspension.
"Inquiry will also be conducted," he told reporters in Bengaluru.
The Karnataka government placed Rao under suspension with immediate effect, citing the "conduct unbecoming of a government servant and causing embarrassment to the state administration".
In response, Rao has rejected the videos and labelled them as "fabricated and false".
