Turkey’s block on Instagram extended into its fifth day on Tuesday, as authorities engaged in discussions with the app's parent company amid internal legal proceedings regarding the ban.
Government officials and Meta met on Monday, an official from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure told The National, in an attempt to find an acceptable agreement and reverse the ban. However, the Turkish party was not satisfied with the outcome.
The country banned the social networking app over the weekend in an apparent protest at restrictions on content commemorating Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a suspected Israeli attack in Tehran last week.
“We have tried to establish a dialogue line through our relevant institutions. However, we have not yet established the desired co-operation in its full sense,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told legislators on Monday.
In the meantime, the Media and Law Studies Association, a non-profit organisation promoting freedom of speech in Turkey, said it had filed a lawsuit against the country's Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which implemented the ban.
Veysel Ok, the association's co-director, said the decision to ban Instagram infringed on the rights of 57 million users in Turkey, disrupted daily commerce worth 2 billion Turkish lira ($60 million), and resulted in a daily VAT loss of 400 million lira.
Instagram is a highly popular platform in Turkey and as well as personal and business users, parties from across the political spectrum promote their activities on the app.
“Turkish society was taken aback by this censorship decision because they did not find the government's reasons convincing,” Mr Ok told The National. “Not only has the freedom of expression of millions of people been restricted, but countless individuals who trade on Instagram have also been left jobless.”
Many people in the country have reported using virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent the ban – a step commonly taken by users in neighbouring Iran, where Instagram has been banned for years.
Mr Erdogan has vocally backed Hamas since it attacked Israel on October 7 last year, and Turkey has banned trade with Israel over its war in Gaza in response to the attacks.
Last week, thousands of people marched in Istanbul to protest over Mr Haniyeh's assassination and to express anger at the continuing Israeli military operation.
The Turkish President accused social media companies of promoting Israeli narratives and blocking pro-Palestinian content, and also criticised them for failing to limit posts linked to organisations that Turkey sees as terrorists, such as the Kurdish separatist militants, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“We are against a digital fascism that cannot even tolerate the photos of Palestinian martyrs and prohibits them at the moment, and which is also a digital fascism that is marketed as freedom,” Mr Erdogan said on Monday.
The lack of popular support for the Instagram ban leads lawyers to believe that it will eventually be reversed, Mr Ok said.
“I think the Turkish government will find a way to reach a compromise because they did not receive societal support for this decision.”
Turkey has blocked social media sites in the past and some news websites are also banned. Access to Twitter was temporarily blocked following the earthquakes iin the south-east of the country in February last year, in which more than 50,000 people were killed.
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
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'The%20Alchemist's%20Euphoria'
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
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ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
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SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
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Chelsea 0
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Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
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Torque: 250Nm
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
THE%20SPECS
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A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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