Statement on 'Instagram' from Transport Minister Uraloğlu: 'Our country has rules and values'

Two days after Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun reacted by stating that condolence messages regarding the death of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh were blocked by Instagram, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority imposed an access ban on the social media platform.

While a statement on the matter was awaited, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made a statement regarding the access ban on Instagram. Uraloğlu said, "Our country has established rules. Our country has values and sensitivities. Despite our warnings, they did not take catalog crimes into account. We have imposed an access ban. The access ban will be lifted when they comply with our laws," he said.

'WE MAKE THE NECESSARY INTERVENTIONS WHEN THEY DO NOT TAKE OUR SENSITIVITIES INTO ACCOUNT'

Minister Uraloğlu's statement is as follows:

"We warned Instagram regarding catalog crimes. There are some rules we want them to implement. They have fulfilled many of our requests, but sometimes we do not get a response. We make the necessary interventions when they do not take both legal rules and some of our social sensitivities into account.

We are in communication with the Instagram Turkey Representative. Our colleagues are in talks with the relevant person. Our sensitivities are clear; the moment they address those shortcomings, let's say 1 hour later, we will have lifted that ban. This is an independent country. A country with laws and rules."