TBB and Ankara Bar Association file lawsuit against Instagram access ban

The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) and the Ankara Bar Association have filed a lawsuit for the cancellation of the access ban imposed on Instagram. 

In a statement from the TBB, it was noted that an application was made to the administrative court with a request for a stay of execution, arguing that the access ban decision regarding 'instagram.com' taken by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) on August 2 constitutes a disproportionate interference with freedom of expression and was implemented without seeking a defense.

The cancellation petition pointed out that the BTK's arbitrary use of its authority without providing justification—blocking access to the entire site instead of implementing a URL-based access ban—constitutes a disproportionate violation of freedom of expression for the social media platform's users, according to rulings by the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The Ankara Bar Association, meanwhile, filed a cancellation lawsuit with a request for a stay of execution at the 10th Administrative Court. In a statement from the Bar, it was stated that the shutdown of Instagram restricts individuals' freedoms of communication, receiving news, and expressing their thoughts. 

The statement said, “The access ban decision implemented ex officio by the Presidency is of a nature that eliminates fundamental rights and freedoms and exceeds the boundaries drawn by law. Access blocking can only be carried out in limited circumstances specified by law. A cancellation lawsuit has been filed against this decision on the grounds that it is clearly contrary to law and the Constitution.”