Erdogan tightens censorship before next year’s elections
Parliament is working on a bill against “disinformation” presented by the governing party. Critics see it as a threat to freedom. The final draft should be approved by the end of the week. Civil liberties advocates and government critics see planned punishments as disproportionate to the law’s aims, i.e., cracking down on false news. Under the bill, offenders could get one to three years in prison.
Istanbul (AsiaNews) – Less than a year from next year’s elections (June 2023), Turkey’s AKP[*]-led government wants to approve a new law that threatens civil liberties, this according to civil rights activists and opposition parties.
The bone of contention, a proposed “disinformation” bill, has about 40 articles, almost half already approved by Parliament. The remaining articles are expected to be approved by the end of the week.
The way it stands, the proposed legislation has been heavily criticised as another example of the way the press and dissenting groups have been severely attacked in the country.
For the European Commission for Democracy through Law[†] (also known as the Venice Commission), the bill includes prison sentences and other measures that are disproportionate to its aims. As it stands, freedom of expression will suffer.
For the government, the law addresses the issue of disinformation in the press and social media and must be approved quickly to be in place for next year’s parliamentary and presidential elections.
Following constitutional changes, President Recep Erdogan is now seeking a third mandate after he won in 2014 and 2018.
One paragraph in the bill is of particular concern to opposition parties and independent media groups – under it anyone who spreads false information about the country's security to create fear or disturb public order will be punished with prison sentences of one to three years.
The Venice Commission is “particularly concerned with the potential consequences of such provision, namely, the chilling effect and increased self-censorship, not least in view of the upcoming elections in June 2023.”
What is more, the Commission notes that the bill “constitutes an interference with the freedom of expression” protected by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
For this reason, it urges Turkish lawmakers to clarify terms in the bill and reject the draft amendment. Alternative non-criminal ways exist to counter misinformation and disinformation in a democratic society, the Commission’s 23-page assessment affirms.
The bill also provides that news websites employees will be regarded as journalists with the right to press credentials issued by the Department of Communication.
Civil servants working for government information services, radio and television will also be accredited as journalists. In addition, news websites will be listed as periodical publications.
For press freedom advocates and government critics, the bill is part of a long decade of repression against free speech under Erdogan.
A recent Reuters investigation shows how mainstream media has become a tight chain of command of government-approved headlines.
Turkey’s parliament will resume vetting the legislation tomorrow after it passed the first 15 articles last week.
[*] Justice and Development Party.
[†] An advisory body of the Council of Europe.
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28/12/2020 10:15
