ISTANBUL, Aug 5 — Turkiye’s government will hold talks with Instagram officials today after blocking access to the social media platform last week, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a post on X.
The move came after a senior Turkish official accused Instagram of blocking condolence posts following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Uraloglu said Turkiye had expressed sensitivities regarding compliance with its laws in a previous meeting with Instagram representatives last week.
Turkish communications official Fahrettin Altun on Wednesday criticised Instagram for alleged “censorship, pure and simple”, over what he called its decision to bar condolence posts for Haniyeh after his killing in Iran’s capital Tehran on July 31.
Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the strike that killed Haniyeh hours after he attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president. Israel has not claimed responsibility.
Turkey ranks fifth in the world in terms of Instagram usage, with some 57 million users, following India, the United States, Brazil and Indonesia, according to data platform Statista.
— Reuters
