Introduction
The Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (TİHEK) ruled that Meta, Instagram’s representative in Türkiye, had committed a violation following a complaint filed by activist İkbal Gürpınar, whose content supporting Palestine had been removed and whose access to the live-streaming feature had been restricted. The Board unanimously decided to impose an administrative fine of 256 thousand 357 lira on the company on the grounds that Meta had violated the prohibition of discrimination.
Developments
The TİHEK decision dated June 24, 2026, stated that the posts contained content concerning the humanitarian situation and civilian casualties in Palestine and were matters of public interest. The subsequent restoration of access to the content and removal of the live-streaming restriction did not eliminate the effects of the intervention.
Details
Meta argued that it was later understood that the posts had not violated Instagram’s Community Standards and that the content had been “removed inadvertently.” TİHEK, however, noted that the company could not explain which specific rule had been violated and concluded that the measures had not been applied objectively and predictably.