Woman Arrested in Turkey After Criticizing State Instagram Ban

Silhouettes of mobile users are seen next to a screen projection of the Instagram logo in this illustration taken on March 28, 2018. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Turkish authorities have detained a woman who, during a street interview, criticized a government ban on the social media platform Instagram.

The woman, identified only as “Dilbura Y.,” was detained by police in the city of Izmir, Turkey, on Aug. 12, according to prominent Turkish daily newspaper Cumhuriyet.

A local court ordered her arrest pending trial for allegedly “inciting hatred and enmity” and “insulting” the Turkish presidency, according to several local media outlets.

It remains unclear when her case will go to trial.

On Aug. 2, the Turkish government blocked access to Instagram, saying the popular media-sharing platform had failed to comply with its guidelines pertaining to public sensitivities.

At the time, Turkish officials accused Instagram of deleting posts expressing condolences for slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an attack on July 31. While several countries blame Israel for the attack, Tel Aviv hasn’t claimed responsibility.

The ban was reversed on Aug. 10 after Meta Platforms, the multinational conglomerate that owns Instagram, pledged to address Turkey’s concerns.

“We are pleased to see that Instagram is back up and running in Turkey,” Meta said in an Aug. 13 statement.

“We remain in dialogue with the [Turkish] authorities and will continue to take action on any violating content and accounts.”

Last week, while the platform was still blocked, Dilbura Y. reportedly criticized the Instagram ban—and the government—during an impromptu street interview.

“This is wrong,” she said in the interview, which was later published on YouTube. “The president cannot ban Instagram as he wishes.”

Dilbura Y. went on to roundly censure Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his supporters, and anyone who backed the Instagram ban.

She was only one of several passersby who were asked by the interviewer to comment on the issue.

‘Intimidation Technique’

In recent years, a number of popular Turkish YouTube channels have taken to publishing street interviews on topical issues and current affairs. Because much of the country’s media is controlled by the state, such platforms have provided a space for free expression, including criticism of the government and its policies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, Turkey, on May 18, 2022. (Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)

Only days before Dilbura Y.’s arrest, Ebubekir Sahin, head of Turkey’s Supreme Radio and Television Council (RTUK), claimed that such interviews were often intended to spread misinformation and “manipulate public opinion.”

“These types of misleading interview techniques are used to deliberately influence the masses,” he wrote in an Aug. 8 social media post.

Sahin noted the RTUK would continue to monitor Turkish social media accounts that regularly feature such street interviews.

The Turkish government has yet to formally comment on the reported detention of Dilbura Y.

Ugur Poyraz, head of Turkey’s opposition IYI Party, criticized the woman’s arrest in an Aug. 12 social media post.

“We do not condone the insults made by the young woman during the interview,” he said. “[Nevertheless,] It is alarming that an everyday citizen, who is not a professional commentator, is detained for expressing her opinion.”

Poyraz said the woman’s arrest was a “clear example of how the law is being used as an intimidation technique against dissenting voices.”

Reuters contributed to this report.