Turkey suppresses journalists sharing realities related to quake
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkish authorities are attempting to suppress journalists’ reporting related to the devastating earthquake that hit the country, as well as for criticizing the Turkish government, the BBC said on Saturday.
The BBC reported that at least four journalists, including Mir Ali Koçer, a freelance journalist, are being investigated for reporting or commenting on the earthquake.
Koçer, a Kurdish journalist who may face up to three years in jail, shared stories of survivors and rescuers on Twitter and is now under investigation on charges of spreading “fake news”.
“The government is trying to suppress information coming from the quake zone,” the BBC said, citing cyber rights expert Yaman Akdeniz as saying.
A few days ago, Turkish police said they detained 134 people over “provocative posts”.
The BBC said, citing press freedom groups, that dozens have been “detained, harassed or prevented from reporting.”
Koçer shared stories of some survivors on Twitter, as some of them in the city of Gaziantep told him that they received no aid for days, although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told people that he would rebuild their cities.
Erdogan also warned that those spreading “fake news” would be prosecuted, calling them “provocateurs”.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called the investigation against Koçer “absurd” and urged the authorities to drop it.