Turkish minister says he received 'way less outcry than expected’ over Instagram ban

Duvar English

Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu on Aug. 15 commented on the nine-day Instagram ban issued by the government, during a meeting held in the capital Ankara.

In his speech, Uraloğlu addressed the process of shutting down Instagram. “Sometimes, certain events unfold so rapidly that you need to act quickly,” Uraloğlu said. 

He continued, “I can say that the public reaction was far below what I expected. Here, we have an international company with its own rules, and then there’s a country with its own laws, regulations, and sensitivities. What’s more important, a company’s rules, a country’s laws, or the sentiments of a nation?” 

The minister stated that Turkey had 60 million Instagram users, and was among the top 10 globally. 

“We don’t have a mindset that seeks to impose bans. Instead of asking why we shut it down, we should ask why we had to.”

Uraloğlu criticized social media platforms for removing content without following any rules. “Who’s really imposing the bans, us or them? We can debate that. But we achieved and received the general response we expected regarding the reasons behind shutting down Instagram,” he added.

The government imposed the access ban on August 2, stating that the platform did not comply with the ministry’s demands regarding "catalog crimes and censorship imposed on users." 

The move followed the platform removing several posts from government officials, such as Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, commemorating the assassinated leader of Hamas, İsmail Haniyeh. 

Instagram was re-opened on Aug. 12, after the company "promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on censorship imposed on users," Minister Uraloğlu said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had criticized those protesting the ban and deemed them “house slaves” in a controversial statement following the ban.

“Those who do not criticize the infamy of social media platforms, those who do not speak out against the fascism they unleash, are lining up to complain about Turkey to the West. This is not how to defend freedoms. This is called 'house slavery.’ More Western than Western, the only aim of the house slaves is to ingratiate themselves with their owners,” he said.

Moreover, a citizen was arrested on Aug. 13 for "insulting the President" and "inciting hatred and hostility among the public" while she criticized the ban in a street interview shared online.