A law has entered into force in Turkey that would impose up to three years in prison for media and social media reports that would be considered disinformation.
The text of the law was published Tuesday in TC Resmî Gazete. It amends Article 29 of the current criminal code, which states that "anyone who publicly disseminates false information <...> with the purpose of causing panic, fear or anxiety among the population shall be subject to imprisonment for a term of one to three years."
The bill was submitted to parliament by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is headed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The opposition had previously repeatedly stated that the bill violated generally accepted constitutional rights and freedoms and was a manifestation of censorship and demanded that it be withdrawn from parliamentary consideration. Erdogan's party responded by saying that the purpose of the bill was to "protect society from disinformation and false accusations against the authorities in the media and social networks.
According to the opposition, the authorities are using administrative resources to prevent it from winning the general elections planned in Turkey in June 2023.
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Based on materials from TASS