Turkish journalists, free speech advocates protest draft bill
Turkish press unions organized nationwide rallies Tuesday to protest the likely passage of a so-called disinformation bill. They worry that jail sentences of up to three years for spreading fake news could be applied to any news the government disapproves of.
ISTANBUL – Claiming the Turkish government is creating another legal tool to punish opposition voices and critical media, press unions organized nationwide rallies in Turkey on Tuesday to protest a law they say will further limit free speech and the flow of information.
Along with other major cities, protests were held in Adana, Ankara, Izmir, Kocaeli and Istanbul, where Turkish media advocates spoke before a wall of journalists holding up printed paper signs, displaying statements like: “Today me, tomorrow you,” “Fake news according to who? According to what?,” “Ban the news, hide inflation” and “The free press will not be silenced.”
