Parliament begins legislating the social media law

ANKARA

The Parliament has started to legislate the 40-article draft law against digital disinformation that stipulates a prison sentence of up to three years against those who knowingly disseminate misleading information via social media.

The first two articles of the law were approved by the votes of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) late on Oct. 4. The opposition parties voted against the bill on the grounds that it is a new attempt to censor online media.

The first two articles provide a legal ground for the online media and grant a right for the online journalists to obtain a press card issued by the Communications Directorate.

The most controversial is the article 29 that aims to fight against disinformation and add the crime of publicly disseminating misleading information to the people to the penal code. According to the article, “Anyone who publicly disseminates false information regarding the internal and external security, public order and general health of the country, in a way that is suitable for disturbing the public peace, with the sole motive of creating anxiety, fear or panic among the people, will be sentenced to imprisonment from one year to three years.”

Deputy parliamentary group leader of the MHP, Feti Yıldız, defended the article 29 in his address to the lawmakers on Oct. 4. “Freedom of expression is not an absolute right,” he said, stressing that this article was aiming to protect the public peace against disinformation.

Müsavat Dervişoğlu, deputy parliamentary group leader of the oppositional İYİ (Good) Party, criticized the bill as an attempt to stop social media from disseminating opposing views against the government.

“The article 29 that punishes the fake news means, in fact, that the government puts itself into a position as the authority to determine what truth is,” he said.

Along with the opposition parties, the media organizations and civil society also reacted against the bill.