Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Turkish NGO Freedom of Expression Association (İfade Özgürlüğü Derneği, İFÖD) warned in a statement on Friday that the Turkish government’s blanket blockage of Instagram violates users’ freedom of expression and access to information.
The organizations argued that not only is the move a blatant breach of the right to freedom of expression but also hinders small-business owners who rely on the platform. Technology and rights deputy director at Human Rights Watch Deborah Brown condemned the interference as “disproportionate” and urged authorities to reverse the decision without delay. She further stated that a government should never use its views on certain issues to entirely block a social media platform. The organizations highlighted the urgency of the situation as social media platforms such as Instagram are means to “uphold freedom of expression and the right to information of their users.”
The decision to block access on Instagram in the entire country was announced by Türkiye’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) on August 2 with no explanation and came following Turkish authorities’ disapproval of Instagram’s censorship of posts expressing condolences regarding Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh’s July assassination in Iran. Head of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications Fahrettin Altun condemned the censorship, stating that it prevents people from posting condolence messages without citing policy violations. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, denied the accusation of censorship, arguing that it aims to maintain safety on its platforms while providing equal freedom of expression.
Turkish professors and cyber-rights activists Yaman Akdeniz and Kerem Altiparmak, founders of the İstanbul-based Freedom of Expression Association, condemned the ban on Instagram and filed a lawsuit against it. They emphasized the lack of transparency and due process in the BTK’s decision, which they claim not only violates freedom of expression but also the right to access information and seek judicial review of administrative actions guaranteed by Article 40 of the Turkish Constitution.
Akdeniz stated that:
Blocking access to the Instagram platform is not only disproportionate but also arbitrary, as the details of the decision by Türkiye’s internet regulator have not been revealed and the blocking order was issued without a court order.
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, previously faced HRW criticism regarding its policies. HRW published a report in December highlighting censorship of Palestinian human rights activists, which Meta denied, arguing that it aims to maintain safety on its platforms while giving equal freedom of expression.
This is not the first time Türkiye blocked access to social media platforms such Twitter, YouTube, or news platforms such as Deutsche Welle and Voice of America.
