Turkey Instagram Ban ‘Violates’ Free Speech, Human Rights Watch Claims

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Turkey’s recent suspension of Instagram has sparked significant controversy, with Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemning the move as a violation of free speech.

The ban, which has now been in place for over a week, also extends to popular online video game Roblox. HRW’s Deborah Brown criticized the blanket ban, stating it “violates the right to free expression and information of millions of users” and called for the immediate restoration of access to Instagram.

The suspension comes amid tensions between the Turkish government and the social media platform. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Instagram of “fascism” and has criticized it for allegedly failing to remove posts deemed offensive by Turkish authorities. Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan’s communications director, claimed that Instagram had censored messages of condolence for the assassination of Ismael Haniyeh, a political leader of Hamas.

Erdogan, who is allied with Haniyeh, expressed frustration that social media networks are quick to ban content related to Palestinian martyrs. The Turkish government has also accused Instagram of ignoring demands to remove posts containing “criminal content,” including insults to Ataturk, drugs, and paedophilia.

The ban affects an estimated 50-60 million Instagram users in Turkey, with significant economic repercussions. The Turkish e-commerce operators’ association estimates daily losses of approximately 1.9 billion Turkish lira (nearly $57 million) due to the ban.

Yaman Akdeniz, co-founder of the Freedom of Expression Association (IFOD), described the ban as “disproportionate and arbitrary,” noting that it was implemented “without a prior court order.” Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uralolu met with Instagram representatives in an attempt to resolve the issues, but no agreement has been reached.

Additionally, the Turkish authorities have banned Roblox, citing concerns about content that could potentially harm children. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc claimed the platform contains material that might lead to child abuse, and an investigation by prosecutors in Adana is underway.

Meta, Instagram’s parent company, reported having removed over 2,500 posts flagged by the Turkish government in the first half of the year, indicating some level of compliance with previous content removal requests.