The Turkish government introduced a new law in parliament that will give the government more control over the internet. The law was drafted by President’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
The law, which is expected to pass, will punish “spreading misinformation on purpose”. It prohibits publicly spreading “false information regarding internal and external security, public order and the general health of the country, in a way that is suitable for disturbing the public peace, simply for the purpose of creating anxiety, fear or panic among the people”.
The punishment for intentionally spreading “false information” will be one to three years in prison. If the court finds that a person spread false information as part of an organization that is illegal, the sentence will be doubled.
Journalists might also be arrested under the new law for hiding sources who gave them “false information”....
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