“While the state and the nation have come together to try to overcome this historic disaster, we are closely following those who try to confront our people with false or distorted news,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared in his first public address after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck on February 6 in southeastern Turkey.
Three weeks later, work continues to recover the bodies under the rubble, while the death toll now stands at 44,000. Millions of people have been left homeless and earthquakes continue to occur in the region, again threatening the structures that are left standing. The last of these occurred on Saturday morning, with a magnitude of 5.3 in Nigde, a province adjacent to the area affected by the previous tremors.
In recent days, the judicial persecution against journalists and the media critical of the Government for its management of the earthquake has also increased. The most flagrant case is that of freelance journalist Mir Ali Koçer, who could face up to three years in prison for allegedly spreading “false news” about the earthquake. Koçer had published interviews with people affected by the earthquake, who criticized the slow deployment of rescue teams in some buildings and the inequality in the distribution of humanitarian aid. The journalist is being investigated within the framework of a new “disinformation law” approved last October, which persecutes false news in the media and social networks. The regulation does not establish parameters to judge the information and leaves the door open to “criminalize journalism and the censorship of online information,” according to a coalition of 22 international press freedom organizations.
At least four other journalists have been detained in the area affected by the earthquake and could be investigated with the same accusation, according to local media. “Authorities must drop all investigations of members of the press, allow reporters to work freely, and ensure that journalists can work without fear of harassment,” CPJ Journalists Protection Committee said in a statement.
The Turkish government imposed a State of Emergency in the 10 affected provinces and various security forces have been deployed on the ground, from police to militarized forces. These are sometimes unaware of the regulations and have prevented the work of journalists on the ground, to the point of requisitioning photographic material in cemeteries where thousands of victims of the earthquake have been buried. For example, a policeman pushed Halk channel reporter Ferit Demir while he was following rescue efforts in the city of Malatya. Freelance journalist Rabia Çetin was threatened by security guards in a Hatay village, while reporter Zübeyde Sari was prevented from recording.
On the other hand, three television stations were fined for their coverage of the earthquake, as the competent authority (RTÜK) considered that they allegedly violated national principles when reporting on the state response to the earthquakes. “Journalism continues. Turkey will not remain without knowing what is happening just because the government wants it. We will not keep silent,” said the director of HalkTV, Cafer Mahiroglu, one of the affected stations.
Turkish authorities this week also blocked access to Eki Sözluk, a very popular online forum in Turkey. Its founder, Sedat Kapanoglu, pointed out that the Turkish authorities have not informed them of the reason for the blockade, but that they regret that their access has been prevented these days, when many people used the platform to request or organize help in the area affected by the earthquake. The platform’s managers believe that it could have been blocked for allowing the publication of criticism of the government’s management after the earthquake.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
