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Blocking of social media stirs up the political scene

Political party leaders issued statements following the blocking of access to Instagram and the inability to access the Constitutional Court's website.

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The social media platform Instagram, which was created primarily for sharing photos and status updates but has over time become one of the era's most important communication tools, hosting over 2 billion users, has been blocked by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).

Following the shutdown of Instagram, a Constitutional Court crisis erupted.

As reactions to the Instagram ban grew, the Constitutional Court announced that it had annulled the powers of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications that could interfere with freedom of the press and expression. It was emphasized that the decision was taken within the scope of fundamental rights and freedoms that cannot be regulated by a Presidential Decree.

The post published on the subject from the Constitutional Court's official social media account was deleted shortly after.

Later, while the Constitutional Court's website became inaccessible, the Court also issued a statement indicating that the site could not be accessed due to high traffic.

Political party leaders issued statements following the blocking of access to Instagram and the inability to access the Constitutional Court's website.

'WE WILL STOP THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT TOGETHER'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel reacted to the blocking of Instagram and the inability to access the Constitutional Court's website. Özel said, "It is complete nonsense, completely wrong. What kind of mindset makes this decision? It is a completely unacceptable, censorship-minded approach. I want to tell all young people this: Those who govern Turkey today can shut down Instagram for 2-3 days whenever they feel like it. They had shut down Wikipedia. Young voters taught the prohibitionist mindset a lesson. We will get rid of them all together in the general elections," he said.

Touching upon the Constitutional Court crisis, the CHP leader Özel said the following:

“We were saying that the Directorate of Communications cannot be a censorship directorate. Communication is one thing, censorship is another. I was saying in Parliament that we would take that law to the Constitutional Court and that the law would be annulled. It was taken there and it was annulled. A Twitter post announcing the annulment was made, a few minutes later the tweet was deleted, and then access to the Constitutional Court's website was blocked. What kind of country are we living in? Constitutional Court decisions are binding for everyone. First, they remove the tweet about this decision, then they block access to it. We will get rid of this mindset in the elections. We will stop the current government together. What is being done today is something that should not happen in any country.”

'THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO THE AK PARTY'S MIND IS RESTRICTION'

İYİ Party leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu shared the following message on social media: "Whatever happens in the world, the first thing that comes to the AK Party's mind is to restrict the freedom of expression of Turkish youth. Now they have brought an access ban to Instagram. Do not forget that the state exists to protect the freedom of expression of its youth, not to limit it."

 

'IT IS AS IF FAHRETTIN IS A PRIMITIVE STATE...'

Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ also commented on both the shutdown of Instagram and the Constitutional Court crisis. Özdağ wrote the following on his social media account:

“Very strange things are happening. The condolence post by Instagram Communications/Propaganda Chief Fahrettin 'Goebbels' Altun for Muslim Brotherhood leader Haniyeh has been removed. (It should not have been removed). Because of this, our Minister of Propaganda has had access to Instagram blocked throughout Turkey. The Constitutional Court published an X post against this. Whoever pressured them, they were forced to remove this post, which remained online for 20 minutes. After China, Iran, and North Korea, we have become a country where Instagram is suspended because Fahrettin Altun got angry. It is as if it is a lawless, ruleless Fahrettin primitive state... We will return the Turkish state to the Turkish Nation.”

 

'THE B.O.P. CO-CHAIR WHO APPEARS TO BE ON THE SIDE OF JUSTICE'

Former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, pointing to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, shared these lines on his social media account:

“The B.O.P. Co-Chair who appears to be on the side of justice;

Instead of closing the Kürecik Base that protects Israel,

cutting off the trade done with them under the table,

stopping jet fuel and oil sales,

he has brought a restriction to a social media platform, which is one of the communication tools of the people.

He has interfered with the warning decision of the Constitutional Court.

I am warning again;

Be a calming and mediating power to establish peace in the region.

These things do not work with demagoguery.

The state cannot be governed!

The state is drifting!

Our direction is not a good omen.”

 

SUPPORT FOR THE INSTAGRAM BAN FROM PERİNÇEK

Vatan Party Chairman Doğu Perinçek supported the banning of Instagram. Perinçek shared the following message on his social media account: "A response to the limit Instagram placed on Palestine; A national limit on Instagram! In response to Instagram's attitude of placing limits on Haniyeh posts, the Turkish state has also placed a national limit on Instagram. We congratulate the Information and Communication Technologies Authority for the decision it has taken. This is what befits a National State. It is not the Turkish State that limits freedom, but imperialist monopolies."

 

Some political parties did not comment on the Instagram ban and the Constitutional Court crisis.

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, Saadet Party leader Temel Karamollaoğlu, Yeniden Refah Party leader Fatih Erbakan, DEVA Party leader Ali Babacan, and Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu did not make any statements regarding the issue.

 

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