Turkey has launched 4,590 investigations and jailed 33 people under its 2022 disinformation law, the Media and Law Studies Association reported.
Data shared during a parliamentary justice committee meeting showed a surge in cases in the last two years since the new law was enacted. Authorities had only opened 139 investigations in 2022, involving 216 individuals, compared with 2,381 cases in 2023 and 1,668 by October 2024.
The new law criminalizes spreading “false information” that could cause public fear or disrupt order, with penalties of one to three years in prison. Critics argue its vague language allows authorities to target journalists, activists and dissenting voices arbitrarily. In 2023, the Constitutional Court dismissed appeals for its annulment.
At least 56 journalists, editors and media managers have faced 66 investigations since the law’s enactment, MLSA reported. Targeted individuals include Ahmet Kanbal of Mezopotamya Agency, who has been investigated four times; İsmail Arı of BirGün and Gökhan Özbek of 23 Derece, each facing three cases.
Kanbal condemned the law as a “weapon” to suppress journalism. “This regulation is not about protecting public order; it’s about censorship,” he said. “We will continue to resist and uphold the principles of journalism.”
While some journalists, such as Dinçer Gökçe of Halk TV and Nilay Can of Gazete Pencere, were detained and later released, others, including Sinan Aygül of Bitlis News and brothers Ali and İbrahim İmat of Mutlu Şehir Osmaniye, were jailed.
Despite parliamentary disclosures, the justice ministry has not publicly shared statistics. Repeated information requests from civil society and media outlets have been denied. Ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) lawmaker Nurettin Alan, who shared the data in Parliament, did not respond to requests for clarification.
International groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), have called for the law’s repeal, warning of its chilling effect on free expression.
Observers fear the law could be increasingly used to silence opposition voices as Turkey approaches critical elections.
Turkey, which is among the top jailers of journalists in the world, was ranked 158th in the RSF 2024 World Press Freedom Index, among 180 countries.
