Turkey's internet regulator has blocked access to Instagram after a top aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the social media platform for "censorship" of posts related to the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. The Information and Communications Technology Bureau did not give a reason for the move. Instagram and its parent company Meta did not respond to requests seeking comment.
Status of Instagram app in Türkiye, August 2
As of Friday morning instagram.com was unavailable in Türkiye. Some users reported that the mobile app did not refresh with new content and gave error messages.
Presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun on Wednesday accused Instagram of "actively preventing people from posting messages of condolence over the death of Hamas leader Haniyeh without citing any policy violations."
Türkiye declared Friday a day of mourning for Haniyeh, and flags were flown at half-mast across the country, including at embassies abroad. This led Israel to summon the Turkish ambassador to rebuke.