Queer social media personality Mükremin Gezgin’s Instagram account banned in Turkey

The Instagram account of LGBTI+ social media personality Mükremin Gezgin, was blocked from access in Turkey yesterday.

The account, which has over 400,000 followers, was blocked after a request by the Family and Social Services Ministry, journalist İsmail Saymaz reported. Virtually every state institution in Turkey has the authority issue blocking orders for specific URLs.

Users attempting to visit Gezgin's profile in Turkey are now met with a warning from the platform, which says, "The account is unavailable in Turkey. This is because we have complied with a legal request from the ICTA (BTK) to restrict this content."

Gezgin was previously arrested by a court on Feb 4, on allegations of "facilitating the use of narcotics" and "encouraging, procuring, or providing a venue for prostitution."

She was kept in pretrial detention for months before being released on Jun 4. (TY/VK)