New Turkey Law Mandates Jail Time for Spreading ‘Disinformation’
- Law decried as move to stifle government critics, journalists
- People face jail terms for up to three years if found guilty
Photographer: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
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Turkey criminalized the spread of what authorities describe as false information on digital platforms, giving the government new powers in the months remaining before elections.
The measure, proposed by the governing AK Party and its nationalist ally MHP, is part of a broader “disinformation” law that was adopted by parliament on Thursday. It mandates a jail term of one to three years for users who share online content that contains “false information on the country’s security, public order and overall welfare in an attempt to incite panic or fear.”