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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DCM Shivakumar, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya lock horns over Metro rail fare hike
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday locked horns over the Metro rail fare hike.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), which was supposed to effect a five per cent hike from Monday, announced putting it on hold on Sunday night.
On Monday morning, the BJP MP from Bengaluru, South Tejasvi Surya was detained for staging a demonstration at Jayanagar Metro station demanding affordable public transport in the city, police said.
Surya, who is also the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national president, staged protest at the Metro Station against the Metro fare hike, which has been increased from Re one to Rs five depending on the distance.
According to Surya, it happened after the Centre's intervention.
The MP staged demonstration with an empty trunk to convey that the state government's promises are empty trunk.
The protest was also in response to Shivakumar's statement that Surya is an empty trunk who is more active on social media and not on the ground.
Speaking to PTI after being detained, Surya said, "Just because we are asking for affordable public transport and accountability, the government is forcing arrest and detention. It's shameful."
He said that instead of providing roads, infrastructure and better amenities, the state government is "arresting" him.
Speaking to reporters, he also said, "Metro fare hike has been put on hold for the second time due to pressure from the Union government. The state government should release a white paper on the economic situation."
Rejecting his allegation, Shivakumar said the Centre has no role to play in holding back the hike.
At a press conference on Monday, Shivakumar said the directions came from the Centre on Sunday night has "zero value".
"Karnataka government put on hold the price hike not under any political pressure or on the advice of the Centre. Centre has no power to interfere on this or give directions to me in this regard," the DCM, who is Bengaluru Development Minister, said.
According to him, a senior Central government officer sent a letter to the BMRCL Managing Director not to move ahead with the fare hi;e.
"It is their recommendation, and they have asked us to put it on hold but the question is whether they have powers to do this," Shivakumar sought to know.
He said he spoke to experts in Bengaluru, Central government officials and other state governments having metro rail service on whether the Centre has any say on fare fixation.
He said the Centre does not have powers to interfere on the implementation of the recommendation of the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC), till a new FFC is formed and gives a fresh recommendation.
He read out a line from the policy document on Metro Rail, which said, "the Central government may from time to time constitute a fare fixation committee for the purpose of recommending fare for the carriage of passengers by the Metro Rail."
The Deputy CM said that in 2020, the FFC was formed, comprising three members. It has the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary as the chairperson. It submitted its report on December 16, 2024. The FFC recommendation on fare revision was implemented in February 9, 2025.
As per the FFC, after a year the annual increase subject to the maximum of five per cent has to be implemented from February 9, 2026, Shivakumar said.
Accordingly, the five per cent hike was introduced, the DCM said.
On Sunday a Central government officer wrote to the Managing Director of BMRCL saying that the company board meeting is scheduled to be held on February 9.
Till such time, it is requested that the FFC recommendations for the annual fare increase should be kept on hold, Shivakumar told reporters.
"The board meeting did not take place on Monday," he said.
