Turkey Still Thinks It Hasn’t Jailed Enough Journalists, Add Prison Sentences To Its ‘Fake News’ Law

Turkey continues to fall back in the freedom field. Or maybe it’s surging ahead in the oppression field! Maybe that’s the list it wants to top.

Whatever the case, Turkey’s government has followed the lead of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, converting critics to criminals and seizing control of a large percentage of the press apparatus so Erdogan and his government lackeys seldom have to hear a discouraging word.

The government’s “Communications Directorate” directly controls several press outlets. Those who haven’t been taken over are routinely hit in the pocketbook when the government pulls ad buys in response to reporting not deemed sufficiently “ethical.” Truly independent outlets are going extinct, thanks to the government’s insistence on jailing as many critical journalists as possible, all while pretending critical coverage is pretty much just terrorism.

The government has also gotten into the “fake news” business. It is combating disinformation in its own particularly brutish way. With elections on the way, the ruling party is doing what it can to ensure it stays in the ruling position. A recently-passed law targeting disinformation was just made much worse, tacking on jail time for those who share content the government has declared suddenly illegal.

Turkey criminalized the spread of what authorities describe as false information on digital platforms, giving the government new powers in the months remaining before elections.

The measure, proposed by the governing AK Party and its nationalist ally MHP, is part of a broader “disinformation” law that was adopted by parliament on Thursday. It mandates a jail term of one to three years for users who share online content that contains “false information on the country’s security, public order and overall welfare in an attempt to incite panic or fear.” 

It’s nice that “in an attempt to incite panic” is tacked on at the end. It almost makes it appear as though Turkish prosecutors might have to prove intent. Somehow, I doubt that last phrase will matter much when the government starts enforcing this law. It will be the rest of it that matters most.

This will allow the government to jail anyone who contradicts the official narrative when discussing matters related to national security, public order, or “overall welfare.” Discussing terrorist attacks or document leaks? Security. Talking about protests against the Turkish government? Public order. Pointing out public utility problems or social services failures? Overall welfare

There’s enough in this vague wording to criminalize nearly any criticism of the government, especially if the government takes the step (and it will) of denying allegations are true. If the official response is ignored (or maybe even if it isn’t!), the content becomes “disinformation” and the government can start rounding people up.

Journalists will be the most natural target since everything covered by this vague wording is of public interest. Those sharing this content will be next. And the few brave souls who venture onto social media platforms to discuss their subjective experiences will be right there with them.

The Turkish government is little more than a bundle of chilling effects at this point. This latest law just converts implied threats into actual jail time.