Turkish Court Orders Arrest of Woman After Instagram Criticism

A Turkish court ordered the arrest of a woman for inciting hatred and insulting President Erdogan after criticizing a temporary ban on Instagram. The ban, lifted after Instagram cooperated with authorities, was initially imposed for failing to adhere to local laws and sensitivities, including blocking posts about an assassination.

A Turkish court on Monday ordered the arrest of a woman on charges of inciting hatred and insulting the president after she criticized a ban on the social media platform Instagram, broadcaster Haberturk and other media said. Turkey blocked access to Instagram on Aug 2 for failing to comply with its 'laws and rules' and public sensitivities. It removed the ban on Saturday, after it said the Meta Platforms-owned app agreed to cooperate with the authorities to address the government's concerns.

In an interview posted on a YouTube channel last week, when the app was still blocked, the woman was one of several passers-by who were asked what they thought about the ban. 'This is wrong. The president cannot ban Instagram as he wishes,' the woman said. She also criticized President Tayyip Erdogan and those who supported the ban.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest. Monday's arrest, ordered by a local court in the western city of Izmir, came after the head of Turkey's broadcasting watchdog RTUK criticized street interviews aired on social media, saying they 'manipulate public opinion'.

The Instagram access ban came after a top Turkish official accused the social media platform of blocking posts expressing condolences over the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

(With inputs from agencies.)