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Turkey fines Instagram 256,357 lira for removing pro-Palestine content
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Turkey /Culture & Society

Turkey fines Instagram 256,357 lira for removing pro-Palestine content

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Turkey's Human Rights and Equality Institution fined Meta Platforms 256,357 lira for systematically removing pro-Palestine content on Instagram.
  • The company claimed content removal was due to violations of Instagram's Community Standards, but the institution found this was a mistaken application.
  • The institution ruled that the removal of content and account restrictions interfered with freedom of expression and violated the prohibition of discrimination.

Turkey's Human Rights and Equality Institution (TฤฐHEK) has imposed a significant administrative fine of 256,357 lira on Meta Platforms Istanbul BiliลŸim Hizmetleri Limited ลžirketi. The penalty stems from the systematic removal of pro-Palestine content shared by an Instagram user, restrictions on accessing such content, and a live broadcast ban on the user's account.

In its defense, the company stated that it does not have a policy to remove or restrict content solely for being related to Palestine. Meta claimed content is only removed if it violates their policies or for legal reasons. They admitted that the user's content was mistakenly removed, identified as a violation of Instagram's Community Standards.

The removal of the user's posts and account restrictions constituted an interference with freedom of expression.

โ€” TฤฐHEKThe institution's findings on the violation of freedom of expression.

However, TฤฐHEK's investigation concluded that the removal of the user's posts and account restrictions constituted an interference with freedom of expression. The institution determined that the differential treatment was not based on objective, reasonable grounds, lacked a legitimate aim, and was disproportionate to the intended purpose. Consequently, TฤฐHEK ruled that the prohibition of discrimination had been violated.

The differential treatment was not based on objective, reasonable grounds, lacked a legitimate aim, and was disproportionate to the intended purpose.

โ€” TฤฐHEKThe institution's reasoning for ruling that the prohibition of discrimination had been violated.

The institution's decision referenced Article 25 of the Turkish Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought and conscience, and Article 26, which upholds the right to express and disseminate thoughts and opinions. TฤฐHEK noted that in the context of the "genocide against Palestinians" in the region, sharing content to raise public awareness and protest the normalization of violence reflects the individual's socio-political stance.

The ruling emphasized that the user's freedom of expression and right to disseminate information were effectively interrupted during the period between the removal of posts and the lifting of restrictions. TฤฐHEK concluded that the intervention was disproportionate and based on philosophical and political views, violating the principle of non-discrimination.

In the context of the 'genocide against Palestinians' in the region, sharing content to raise public awareness and protest the normalization of violence reflects the individual's socio-political stance.

โ€” TฤฐHEKThe institution's justification for the user's actions in sharing pro-Palestine content.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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