Press Groups Condemn Turkey’s Use of Disinformation Law to Target Journalists

Turkey’s Disinformation Law Faces Global Backlash as Journalist Detentions Mount

A coalition of 25 international and local press freedom organizations issued a joint statement Tuesday condemning Turkey’s aggressive application of its controversial disinformation law, which they say has become a systematic tool for suppressing journalistic freedom in the country.

The organizations are demanding the immediate repeal of Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code and the release of all journalists currently detained under its provisions. The law, which came into effect in October 2022, has been used to charge at least 83 journalists in 114 separate cases for allegedly spreading false information.

“Turkish authorities have weaponized this legislation to criminalize legitimate journalism and silence reporting,” the statement reads. The organizations emphasized that the law is “incompatible with international standards” and has created an increasingly hostile environment for independent journalism throughout Turkey.

Recent months have seen a sharp escalation in the application of the disinformation law. In February, journalist Alican Uludağ was arrested on charges of both spreading disinformation and insulting the president. March saw the detention of Bilal Özcan for his coverage of an influencer’s death, while İsmail Arı was detained after reporting on alleged financial mismanagement within public foundations.

The crackdown intensified further in April with a wave of journalist prosecutions. Murat Ağırel and Barış Pehlivan received prison sentences for their commentary, while Zafer Arapkirli was convicted for social media posts about attacks in Syria. Journalist Turgay Kılıç was detained after sharing information about school threats, and Mehmet Yetim was placed in pretrial detention over a social media post.

“A free and independent press is itself the most durable safeguard against the spread of false information. Criminalising journalism is neither a lawful nor an effective response to it,” the press freedom groups stated.

Turkey’s disinformation law has been controversial since its inception. Critics argue that its vague wording—which criminalizes the “public dissemination of false information” with penalties of up to three years in prison—gives authorities broad discretion to target journalists who challenge official narratives. The law has become part of a wider legal framework that press freedom advocates say is designed to intimidate and silence independent voices.

The joint statement’s signatories represent a broad cross-section of respected press freedom organizations, including the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, the European Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders. Local Turkish organizations such as the Media and Law Studies Association, the Progressive Journalists Association, and the Journalists’ Union of Turkey also signed the statement.

Turkey’s deteriorating media environment is reflected in its poor performance in international rankings. The country currently sits at 159th place out of 180 nations in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, marking it as one of the world’s most restrictive environments for journalism.

Expression Interrupted, a press freedom monitoring group, reports that 26 journalists are currently incarcerated in Turkey. This figure represents only a portion of those facing legal pressure, as many more journalists operate under the constant threat of prosecution, leading to widespread self-censorship across the Turkish media landscape.

Media experts point out that the disinformation law comes after years of media consolidation in Turkey, where most mainstream outlets have been acquired by business groups aligned with the government. This has pushed independent journalism increasingly toward digital platforms and social media—precisely the spaces now being targeted by the disinformation law.

The coalition has called on the Turkish government to bring its legal framework into compliance with international obligations regarding freedom of expression, specifically highlighting the need to repeal not just the disinformation law but all legislation that unduly restricts press freedom in the country.