The law was submitted to the parliament on May 27 by the governing alliance of Justice and Development Party (AKP), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s Islamic party, and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), their ultra-nationalist allies. The draft will be presented at the Parliament General Assembly this week, and is expected to be voted on and passed promptly after. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) call on the Turkish government to immediately dismiss the “disinformation law”, expected to be turned into law by the end of the week.
Twenty three international media freedom, freedom of expression and journalists’ organisations, including the IFJ, today called for the immediate dismissal of the bill on “disinformation and fake news” which was submitted to the parliament on May 27 by the governing alliance of Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The IFJ joins the international outcry to end the law designed to expand online censorship and criminalise the free flow of information. Read the full statement.
In a joint letter released today, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and a coalition of 22 international media freedom, freedom of expression and journalists’ organisations are calling on Turkey’s parliamentarians to vote down the “disinformation” bill that would expand censorship online and criminalise free flow of information.
Placed in the hands of Turkey’s highly politicized judiciary, the law would become another tool for harassing journalists and activists and may cause blanket self-censorship across the internet.