UPDATESeveral Turkish journalists who have been covering the earthquakes in Turkey since the beginning of this month have been questioned by the police, the BBC reports. The British broadcaster spoke to a freelancer, Mir Ali Koçer, who had to come to the police station because of the possible violation of a new disinformation law. The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) tells the BBC that it knows at least three other journalists who are being prosecuted for reporting from the disaster area.
Turkish journalists have been dealing with a new and controversial law since October last year. This makes it possible for reporters to be arrested for sharing disinformation. According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, such a law is necessary to protect the population. However, observers argue that press freedom in Turkey is being curtailed. Violation of the law can result in a three-year prison sentence.
Visiting the disaster area this month, Erdogan warned that those who spread “fake news” and “cause social chaos” will be prosecuted. Freelancer Koçer, who says he was very careful in his critical reporting on the help to victims, was questioned by the police because he allegedly spread fake news.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an organization that fights for freedom of the press, calls the investigation into Koçer “absurd”. The Turkish authorities do not want to respond to questions from the BBC. The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria killed more than 50,000 people.
Earlier, three TV channels were fined for reporting on shortcomings of the Turkish government. It would be a criticism of the response of Erdogan’s government after the devastating earthquakes.
Twitter was also blocked for several hours a few days after the disaster. That block was quickly lifted after a lot of criticism, because Twitter was an important communication tool for rescuers. Victims trapped under the rubble also shared their location via Twitter so they could be rescued.
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