A kiosk in Istanbul on April 17, 2017, shows Turkish newspapers the day after the Turkish referendum. Turkey currently ranks 149 out of 180 countries in the world press freedom index, with 90% of the national media under government control, according to the international non-profit organization Reporters. Borderless.
Yasin Akgul | Afp | beautiful pictures
Seven years ago, Sevgi Akarcesme reports of a series of police raids about Turkey’s media industry, which left a trail of newsrooms shutting down one after another – until the time came for her own boutique to emerge.
Akarcesme, then editor-in-chief of Turkey’s number one English-language daily, Today Zaman, told CNBC on Tuesday that it was clear then that police would start looking for her. That led her to leave in 2016 to take up a teaching role in the United States.
“Turkey has long been hell on earth for journalists. It’s one of the biggest prisons for journalists in the world,” she said.
Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure – which also oversees communications services – did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on comments in this article.
Turkey’s parliament last week approved a law introducing prison terms for journalists and social media users who spread “fake news” or misinformation. The term “fake news” is generally defined more broadly as misleading or fabricated information sold as legitimate news.
The law was introduced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party eight months before the country’s general election.
The bill, which still needs to be passed by Erdogan, states that anyone who spreads false information about Turkey’s security to “cause fear and disturb public order” will face up to jail time. up to three years.
“With this new law… the goal is to control social media because conventional media is already under Erdogan’s control,” Akarcesme said.
Protesters hold Turkey’s Cumhuriyet daily during a protest ahead of the trial of employees from the country’s main opposition daily on September 11, 2017 in the Silivri district in Istanbul. The case, which opened in Istanbul in July, involves 17 current and former writers, animators and executives from Cumhuriyet (“Republic”), who have been tried on charges of “terrible crime”. Father”.
Ozan Kose | Afp | beautiful pictures
The law includes provisions such as the issuance of press cards and a process to correct online misinformation. On top of that, the sentence can be increased by half if false information is spread through anonymous accounts.
“The haste to pass this law may indicate that the government’s goal is to increase pressure on journalists and social media users first,” said Mustafa Kuleli, general secretary of the Turkish Journalists’ Association, in an email to CNBC. election.
He added that it was unclear how prosecutors would deliver punishments to perpetrators because crimes were defined in “ambiguous and open-ended terms” and lacked clear legal definitions.
‘A threat to anyone’
“This law doesn’t just affect journalists, it doesn’t just affect social media users. This law poses a threat to anyone with the ability to speak, or read and write,” Representative of Turkey of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Ozgur Ogret, told CNBC.
He added that the lack of a Specific definitions of misinformation will lead to self-censorship – even if it is true.
Supporters of the Turkish newspaper Bugun gather outside its headquarters in Istanbul during a protest against the Turkish government’s crackdown on the media on October 27, 2015.
Ozan Kose | Afp | beautiful pictures
“The bill provides a framework for widespread censorship of online information and criminalization of the press, which would allow the government to further subjugate and control public debate ahead of the general election.” in Turkey by 2023,” indicate an alliance of 22 press freedom organizations from around the world.
The statement released by press freedom groups mentioned that the bill’s “ambiguous definition” of what constitutes misinformation would put millions of internet users at risk of criminal penalties.
Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Omer Fatih Sayan tweeted last week that he was “sorry to see” that “hate speech, misinformation, manipulation” is growing “like an avalanche” on social media platforms.
“We must establish a cleaner and safer internet for our citizens, this is our most important mission,” he tweeted.
‘The last decade has been brutal’
The bill is seen as another step forward in an already deteriorating environment for free speech. According to Ogret, Turkey’s media environment has not improved in more than a decade.
“Turkey’s media environment today is much less colorful…especially after the 2016 coup attempt,” he said.
Since the military attempted a coup in 2016, 189 media outlets have closed, according to Turkey Purge . online media tracker. Withdrawal of press cards and arrests of members of the press were common in those days.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency and vowed to hunt down the “terrorist” group behind the 2016 coup plot during a press conference after a meeting of the National Security Council and the interior of the country. at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, on July 20. , 2016. After the coup, a crackdown on the newsroom followed and a series of trials against journalists was launched.
Adem Altan | Afp | beautiful pictures
After the coup, crackdowns on the newsroom followed and a series of trials against journalists were launched.
Akarcesme added that after the July 15 coup attempt, no media objected to the regime’s rhetoric.
“A lot of diversity in media has been lost in the last five to 10 years,” says Ogret.
Current Turkey 149th out of 180 countries in the Global Press Freedom Index, with 90% of national media under government control, according to the international nonprofit Reporters Without Borders.
When the index was launched in 2002, Turkey ranked 107 out of 172 and is classified as “partially free”.
“There is not a moment in Turkey that has not had journalists jailed or harassed by the media… the past decade has been brutal for the Turkish media environment,” said Mr. Ogret. Ogret said.
