Instagram Censors Journalist Ahmet Şık’s Newroz Photos

Instagram closed the account of prominent journalist Ahmet Şık after receiving massive complaints over the photos he shared during Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır province on March 21. 

“Some ‘sensitive Turks’ submitted complaints over my photos showing [PKK leader] Abdullah Öcalan posters during Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır province. Instagram found the solution by closing down the account. 

Şık also said that he also received a lot of messages from his followers as soon as he published them.

“It is up to them to not follow me on Instagram if they don’t like my photos and protest that,” he said.  

He reminded that his photos were previously spammed due to “inappropriate content” complaints and his photos were deleted automatically. He said that he will keep on publishing his spammed photos. 

Şık continued as follows:

“Above all, I don’t have the habit to just publish photos that you want to see. Or should I also say that I hate censorship? I am trying to let my account reactivated right now. If I don’t succeed in doing that, I will keep on publishing photos that contain pro-AKP, pro-coup, pro-separation and pro-terrorism under another account.”

Instagram and Facebook censorship

Instagram was sold over to Facebook in 2012. So far, Facebook censored nipple, vagina photos and Instagram continues that. bianet’s “The Anatomy of Vagina Censorship in Turkey” piece was censored by Facebook. 

Facebook also censors several pages related to the Kurdish Movement. Şık is not the first user to face censorship due to the Kurdish Problem on Instagram. Previously, Instagram deleted two photos from journalist Melis Alphan’s account. It was shared again after a PR company’s intervention. (EA/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.