Turkey passes ‘disinformation bill’ ahead of elections

Turkey has passed a sweeping law on “disinformation” that critics say will further restrict criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government in the run-up to elections.

The bill, which was approved by the Turkish parliament late on Thursday, has drawn criticism from across Turkish society — including media groups, economists and scientists.

A central provision is a proposal that people who “disseminate false information about the internal and external security, public order and general wellbeing of the country in order to create anxiety, fear or panic among the public” will face a prison sentence of between one and three years.

That sentence can be increased by half for owners of anonymous social media accounts.

The government has argued that the measure is necessary to combat disinformation and fake news, especially on social media. President Erdoğan has said that he is trying to protect “vulnerable segments of society” from “rising digital fascism and fake news”.

But critics warn that, in a country where Erdoğan has already drastically curtailed freedom of speech, the latest provisions will further restrict the space for criticism of him.

They say that the vague and broad wording of the law — which has drawn comparisons with a Russian law forcing media to refer to its invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation” — will enable the government to threaten anyone who rejects the official narrative about the state of the economy or the government’s foreign and domestic policies.

A group of 25 international press freedom groups warned in a joint statement published this week that the law, which will be overseen by the “highly politicised” judiciary, will lead to extensive censorship and self-censorship and “enable the government to further subdue and control public debate”.

The law comes as Turkey is gearing up for presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 2023, that are widely seen as the most challenging campaign that Erdoğan has faced in his almost two decades in power.

It also coincides with the latest plunge in the value of the lira and a surge in inflation that officially topped 83 per cent in September.

The government has faced criticism over the law, known as the “censorship bill” by its opponents. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the opposition Republican People’s party (CHP), has claimed that Erdoğan wants to use it to smother corruption allegations.

Meral Akşener, leader of the rightwing İYİ party, has described it as a “masterpiece of monstrosity, even by the government’s high standards.” She asked how it would be implemented, adding: “What will determine what is a lie? How will the truth be established? Which institution will monitor disinformation?”

Economists fear that questioning economic statistics will be among the acts considered disinformation. A prominent group of academics that compiles an alternative measure to inflation data — claiming the official figure is manipulated — has already been accused of falsification by officials of the ruling party.

Naci Görür, a prominent seismologist, has warned that the law could even impact his and his colleagues’ ability to warn the public about risks associated with earthquakes.

Turkey, where insulting the president or the nation is a criminal offence carrying a jail sentence, has long found itself at odds with freedom of expression advocates.

But Erdoğan, whose ruling party came to power in November 2002, has established unprecedented dominance over conventional media. In recent years, he has taken additional steps to limit online freedom by enforcing stringent conditions on social media providers.

While thousands of people are arrested each year for online posts, Twitter and YouTube have remained one of the most important spaces where journalists, academics and opposition politicians can express themselves openly. Critics of the new law fear it will jeopardise that freedom.