ANKARA — Turkish journalist organizations on
Tuesday denounced a government-backed bill that could see offenders jailed for
three years for spreading “disinformation”, saying it threatened freedom of
expression.
اضافة اعلان
The bill, due before parliament Tuesday after being
floated by the ruling AKP party in May, would force social media networks and
internet sites to hand over details of users suspected of “propagating
misleading information”.
It comes as
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has
long sought to muzzle criticism, is facing his most challenging election since
he came to power nearly two decades ago.
The ruling party’s approval ratings have dropped to
historic lows ahead of the election due by June next year thanks to
astronomical inflation and a currency crisis.
“We, the journalists, are warning both the lawmakers
and the public once again as part of our responsibility to society,” 10
journalist organizations said in a joint statement outside parliament in
Ankara.
“If this law is implemented in its current form, the
freedom of press, expression and communication in our country will be brought
under great pressure and siege.”
Journalists, accompanied by opposition lawmakers,
wore black masks in protest and unfurled banners: “Press is free”, “No to the
censorship law”, and “free press is essential to democracy”.
Turkey regularly
ranks among the world’s worst jailers of journalists.
As well as risking prison, journalists found to have
broken the new law could also lose their press cards.
While the opposition has tried to block the law, the
Islamic AKP and their ultra-nationalist allies in the MHP have a majority in
parliament.
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