Turkey adopts law targeting online critics of government

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The parliament of Turkey on Thursday adopted a law that would jail journalists and social media critics for up to three years over charges of spreading "disinformation".

The law was initially proposed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and was voted with the high majority and support of the AKP ruling party, as well as its ultra-nationalist allies, the MHP party. 

Several MPs, European countries, and media rights activists tried to prevent the voting of the legislation due to its infringement on freedom of speech.

The law's Article 29 states that those who spread false information online about Turkey's security to "create fear and disturb public order" will face a prison sentence of one to three years.

Although there is no clear definition of "false or misleading information," this allowed for courts to gain more leverage in toying with the law as critics say the government has carried out an aggressive crackdown on open dissent.

Opposition MP Engin Altay from the Republican People's Party (CHP) said minutes prior to the final vote that the country was already far behind others in terms of levels of press freedom. The passing of this law would therefore further conceal freedom of speech-related abuses. 

As the law is now in Erdogan's hands to receive final approval, the AKP stated it was necessary for such a law to be passed to tackle what they called the spread of misinformation.

In light of recent survey results which showed support for Erdogan and the AKP has been on the decline, the issue of media and speech freedom has been of considerable significance ahead of the upcoming presidential elections. 

Previous investigations revealed that mainstream media has been subjected to strong pressures from the government, whereas smaller independent media has been the target of systematic regulatory penalties.

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In the past, Erdogan and his party were well-known for having taken advantage of the Palestinian cause to gather votes and political support.

But over the years that hypocrisy was further made visible in the light of Ankara's diplomatic rekindling with "Tel Aviv".

On August 15, it was reported that the two parties had restored full diplomatic ties.

But the motives behind the normalization of diplomatic ties stem from plans to negotiate the transportation of gas to the EU. 

In May of this year, Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said gas from the Eastern Mediterranean could become an alternative to Russian supplies for the EU, adding that Ankara was ready to be part of this process.

"These negotiations [between Turkey and the Israeli occupation] are underway, as far as I know, the next meeting will be held in October," Kalin told reporters when asked the relevant question.

When the Venice Commission was informed of the law targeting online activists and journalists, it told the rights watchdog Council of Europe that it was particularly concerned about the consequences of the law's prison provision, "namely the chilling effect and increased self-censorship" ahead of the vote.

It is unlikely that such remarks were truly honest due to Ankara's strategic partnership with "Tel Aviv" over supplies of oil to the EU.

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