Instagram Closes Accounts of 3 HDP MPs, Leaves Applications Unanswered
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The Instagram accounts of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Hüda Kaya, Serpil Kemalbay and Ayşe Acar Başaran were closed upon the complaints made to the Instagram on October 27.
The Instagram post of another HDP MP, Ebru Günay, who shared an image as a protest to the operations conducted against the HDP politicians on November 4, 2016, has also been removed from the website. In the image, it was written, "Fascism shall not pass; the HDP shall not fit into dungeons."
CLICK - HDP Co-Chairs Yüksekdağ, Demirtaş Arrested
No response from the Instagram
The closing of the Instagram accounts of the MPs was shared with the public by the Gazete Duvar news website.
Speaking to bianet about the incident, HDP Press Unit has stated that both the MPs themselves and the HDP have applied to the Instagram to take the accounts of Kaya, Kemalbay and Başaran back. However, the applications of both the MPs and the HDP have been left unanswered so far.
Kemalbay: They try to isolate us from society
Serpil Kemalbay has responded to the decision of the Instagram as follows:
"We are faced with a situation, which is an indication of the one-man state, where unlawfulness, discrimination and arbitrariness prevail. The ones who cannot destroy the trust of the people in us have attempted to distance us from the people by creating a media monopoly.
"They were not content with it and, now, they are trying to isolate us from society by sabotaging our social media accounts. No one should be an instrument to this despotism and unlawfulness."
Başaran: Surprising
Referring to the closing of their accounts by the Instagram as "funny" and "surprising", Ayşe Acar Başaran has said,
"This incident has manifested once again how limited the freedom of thought in Turkey is. We cannot receive any responses for the last ten days though we have made an official application. They are bothered even by our posts, where we shared the slogan of our own party.
"I am of the opinion that the univocality in the media is now intended to spread on the social media as well. The closed account was my official account. I will continue sharing our views."
What happened on November 4?
At the night of November 4, 2016, Co-Chairs of the HDP Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş as well as 14 of its MPs were taken into custody in raids that were conducted to their houses.
While MPs Sırrı Süreyya Önder, İmam Taşçıer and Ziya Pir were released on probation, Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ, İdris Baluken, Çağlar Demirel, Nursel Aydoğan, Leyla Birlik, Selma Irmak, Ferhat Encü, Nursel Aydoğan, Abdullah Zeydan and Gülser Yıldırım were arrested. Nİhat Akdoğan was also arrested two days later as part of the same operation.
Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ, İdris Baluken, Çağlar Demirel, Selma Irmak, Gülser Yıldırım, Ferhat Encü, Burcu Çelik and Abdullah Zeydan from the HDP have been currently behind bars. (EMK/SD)