Turkey’s parliament approves jail terms for ‘fake news’

A strict new media law that could result in reporters and social media users serving up to three years in prison for disseminating “fake news” was approved by Turkey’s parliament on Thursday.

Eight months before elections that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enters trailing in the polls, the new regulations strengthen the government’s already tight control over the media.

The legislation, which was made up of 40 modifications that each required a separate vote, was sponsored by Erdogan’s party, the AKP, which has strong Islamic roots. The main opposition parties in Turkey fiercely disagreed with it.

The approved law imposes a criminal penalty for those found guilty of spreading false or misleading information.

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It requires social networks and internet sites to hand over personal details of users suspected of “propagating misleading information”.

It allows the courts to sentence accredited reporters and regular social media users who “openly spread misleading information” to between one and three years in jail.

The government has also started publishing a weekly “disinformation bulletin” aimed at debunking what it deems as false news with “accurate and truthful information”.

The Council of Europe rights group said the measure’s vague definition of “disinformation” and the accompanying threat of jail could have a “chilling effect and increased self-censorship, not least in view of the upcoming elections in June 2023”.

Turkey’s parliament approves jail terms for ‘fake news’