Iranians debate freedom of expression as Instagram shuts down IRGC pages
After Instagram suspended the purported accounts of high-ranking IRGC members, Iran's ultraconservatives are pushing authorities to ban the platform in Iran.
"Sorry, this page isn't available." That's the message that now greets Instagram users trying to access accounts purportedly run by top figures of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Last week, President Donald Trump designated the IRGC a "foreign terrorist organization," and a day after the measure took effect, Instagram banned the accounts.
"We work with appropriate government authorities to ensure we meet our legal obligations, including those relating to the recent designation of the IRGC," a spokesperson for the social media platform told AFP.
Among the most notable accounts banned are those of IRGC commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari and Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who heads the influential overseas branch, known as the Quds Force. The long list has not even spared the Iranian traffic police chief, not to mention several retired officers, such as former Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and former head of the state broadcaster Ezzatollah Zarghami. Meanwhile, the English-language version of the supreme leader's official website on Instagram was temporarily suspended.
Since Facebook and Twitter are officially blocked in Iran, Instagram gained immense popularity among Iranians. That means its 24 million users in Iran — almost a third of Iran’s population — do not have to bother with proxy apps to log on to Instagram. Iranian political and military figures have extensively employed the platform to spread their ideological messages to domestic and international audiences. Only last week, the now-banned profile page of Soleimani posted a video clip of his strongly worded speeches against the United States. However, the Quds Force has denied that Soleimani has any social media presence, suggesting that such pages are established and moderated by supporters.
