Türkiye’s communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday.
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.
It came days after Fahrettin Altun, the presidential communications director and aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, strongly criticized the Meta-owned platform for preventing users in Türkiye from posting messages of condolences for Haniyeh.
Instagram has over 50 million users in Türkiye, a nation with a population of 85 million.
Türkiye is observing a day of mourning for Haniyeh on Friday, during which flags are being flown at half-staff.
