Friday, March 29

Turkish law enters into force that punishes the dissemination of “false information” with prison


A new law that allows anyone who spreads “false information” on the internet “for the purpose of creating fear” to be punished with between one and three years in prison has entered into force in Turkey on Tuesday despite the strong protests it has unleashed within and outside the country.

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Dubbed the “censorship law” by its critics, the new “Law on Amending the Press Law and Some Laws of Turkey” was published this Tuesday in the Official Gazette, which implies its entry into force.

“Whoever publicly disseminates false information about internal and external security, public order and the general health of the country in a way that could disturb public peace” with the aim of “creating anxiety, fear or panic”, will be sentenced to prison terms from one year to three years“, reads the text of the new legislation

Can Guleryuzlu, president of the Association of Progressive Journalists (CGD), told EFE that the law will not only affect writers, journalists and users of social networks, but also society as a whole. “The real goal is to silence all critical voices as the country heads into very important elections,” he added, referring to next year’s general election.

As the controversial law is written, which will give the authorities more power to persecute and punish the critical press, only the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “will decide whether shared content corresponds to the truth or not,” he denounces. the representative of the journalists.

Unconstitutional

The preparation and approval, on the 13th, of this new law triggered a wave of widespread protests inside and outside the country, and it is expected that the main Turkish opposition party, the CHP, will present a constitutional challenge. However, the high court judges may not hear the case until after the election.

The Turkish Bar Association has highlighted that the law is contrary to the country’s Magna Carta: “This regulation, which restricts freedom of expression and the press, is clearly contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution,” it says.

“It goes against the principles of being predictable and specific, everyone is under threat of being the perpetrator. In this case, one cannot speak of the existence of legal security in the country”, adds the agency.

“We are aware that freedom of communication and expression among people is being hindered and a cover has been invented to hide the truth,” says the PEN Turkey Writers Association, after denouncing that the law seeks to “confiscate fundamental rights and freedoms”.

Even before this law, the crackdown on digital freedom in Turkey and the frequent persecution and imprisonment of journalists have led the country to be classified as “Not Free” by Freedom House and Turkey to be ranked 153rd, out of 180 countries in the world. the list on the situation of press freedom by Reporters Without Borders.



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