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Friday, Jan 16, 2026
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Turkey Blocks Instagram Access Without Explanation
Turkey has blocked access to Instagram as of February 8, 2024, without providing any reason or duration. The move follows accusations that Instagram prevented users from posting condolence messages for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was recently killed in Tehran. This action has led to widespread mockery on other social media platforms.
Turkey's national communications authority, BTK, has blocked access to Instagram as of February 8, 2024, without providing any reason or duration for the ban.
The decision follows accusations from Fahrettin Altun, Turkish presidency's communications director, that Instagram hindered users from posting condolence messages for Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, who was killed in Tehran.
As a result, many users in Turkey reported issues with accessing the platform.
This move has led to widespread mockery on other social media platforms such as X.
Notably, this isn't the first instance of Turkey blocking social media sites; for instance, Wikipedia was inaccessible from 2017 to 2020.
The decision follows accusations from Fahrettin Altun, Turkish presidency's communications director, that Instagram hindered users from posting condolence messages for Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, who was killed in Tehran.
As a result, many users in Turkey reported issues with accessing the platform.
This move has led to widespread mockery on other social media platforms such as X.
Notably, this isn't the first instance of Turkey blocking social media sites; for instance, Wikipedia was inaccessible from 2017 to 2020.
