After blocking Haniyeh condolence posts, Turkiye restricts Instagram
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Fahrettin Altun, the head of the Directorate of Communications, denounces the social media platform for "actively hindering" users who post condolence messages about Haniyeh.
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Fahrettin Altun, a close aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaks to reporters, in Ankara, Turkiye, Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (AP)
Turkiye restricted access to the Instagram social network on Friday, Sputnik reported.
Since Friday morning, the social network has not been accessible from computers or mobile devices.
"On August 2, access to the Instagram.com website was blocked by the decision of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority," the regulator said, without providing any details.
This comes after Fahrettin Altun, the head of the Turkish presidential administration's Directorate of Communications, denounced the social media platform on July 31 for "actively hindering" users who post condolence messages following the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh.
On Friday, Turkiye has declared a day of national mourning.
"This is censorship, pure and simple," Altun said on X, adding that Instagram had not cited any policy violations for its action.
Filistin direniş hareketi Hamas'ın siyasi büro şefi İsmail Heniye, düşmanlarının asla anlayamayacağı bir tevazuyla şehadete yürüdü. Filistin davasının en büyük kahramanlarından biri olarak tarihe geçen şehidimize Allah’tan rahmet diliyoruz. İslam aleminin ve Filistin’in başı…
— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) July 31, 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Wednesday that assassinating Haniyeh will not help "Israel" accomplish its aims, condemning the aggression.
"As before, the Zionist barbarians will again fail to achieve their goals through killing," Erdogan said on X.
Hamas Siyasi Büro Başkanı İsmail Heniye’ye yönelik Tahran’da gerçekleştirilen kalleş suikastı şiddetle kınıyor ve lanetliyorum.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) July 31, 2024
Bu suikast; Filistin Davasını, Gazze’nin şanlı direnişini ve Filistinli kardeşlerimizin haklı mücadelesini akamete uğratmaya, Filistinlilerin moralini…
Erdogan also denounced the "treacherous assassination" and described it as a "despicable act aimed at undermining the Palestinian cause... demoralizing and intimidating Palestinians."
Just yesterday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim demanded that US-giant Meta stop acting as "Israel's" tool after Instagram deleted his comments on the assassination of Haniyeh.
"Let this serve as a clear and unequivocal message to Meta: Cease this display of cowardice and stop acting as instruments of the oppressive Zionist Israeli regime!" the prime minister said and published screengrabs of notifications he received from Instagram claiming his posts and comments went against the platform's community guidelines.
Hamas confirmed on Wednesday the martyrdom of the Hamas leader, noting that the head of the political bureau was killed in a "treacherous Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran."
