Turkey’s parliament on Thursday approved a tough new media law that could result in journalists and social media users facing up to three years in prison for distributing ‘fake news.’
The new rules tighten the government’s already stringent control over the media eight months before elections that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enters lagging in the polls.
The legislation, which was made up of 40 changes that each required a separate vote, was put up by Erdogan’s AKP party, which has strong Islamic roots, and was vehemently opposed by Turkey’s major opposition parties.
According to established legislation, those found guilty of spreading incorrect or deceptive information are subject to punishment.
Individuals accused of ‘propagating false information’ shall have their personal information made available via social media platforms and websites.
It gives judges the authority to sentence frequent social media users and credentialed journalists who ‘openly distribute erroneous materia’ to prison terms of one to three years.
Additionally, the government has begun releasing a weekly ‘disinformation bulletin’ with the intention of refuting misleading information with ‘correct and genuine information.’
According to the rights group for the Council of Europe, the vague definition of ‘disinformation’ in the bill and the possibility of jail time might have a ‘chilling effect’ and encourage increased self-censorship, not least in light of the upcoming elections in June 2023.
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