Opposition leader first to fall prey to Ankara's disinformation law

A complaint was filed with the capital's public prosecutor's office against Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the Chp. He is 'guilty' of criticising the government for the widespread circulation of methamphetamine. A trade exploited by the country's leadership to pay off debts in a time of economic crisis. President Erdoğan's attack, calling for a trial. 

Ankara (AsiaNews) - Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is the "first victim" of the infamous disinformation law wanted by the government and approved in recent weeks, which, according to critical voices, is destined to further strengthen the meshes of censorship. He is 'guilty' of attacking the government, which he claims has done nothing to crack down on the growing methamphetamine trade throughout the country. 

The police indicted him precisely because of his critical words towards the authorities, accusing him of spreading false information detrimental to the nation's image. In recent days, the General Directorate of Security (Egm) has filed a formal complaint with the Investigation Bureau called to investigate offences committed by parliamentarians at the Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office, charging him with the offences of 'insult, slander and offence against the Turkish state'. 

In a video posted on Twitter on 31 October, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the Republican Party (Chp), attacked the government, holding it responsible for what he called the 'methamphetamine epidemic'. In need of foreign currency to limit the effects of the economic crisis, the government allegedly attracted 'drug barons' and encouraged, or at least did nothing to limit, the boom in the production and use of the drug. "They emptied the treasury, destroyed the economy. After all the resources were consumed, they started,' he added, 'a very dirty game to stay in power.... They turned a blind eye to all kinds of black money entering the country'. 

According to the complaint, the opposition leader is therefore the first person to have to answer for the charges under the 'disinformation' rule approved by Parliament, amidst fierce controversy from journalists and critical voices, in the middle of last month. Specifically, Article 29 states that anyone who 'disseminates information that misleads the public' must be sentenced to up to three years in prison.

For Celal Çelik, lawyer of the Chp leader, the complaint filed with the public prosecutor's office is further proof of the damage caused by the new law and once again highlights the validity of the criticism. "They have shown," the lawyer added, "that this article of the law will be applied against politicians to restrict their freedom of expression. This step has revealed the full extent of the legitimacy of our arguments'. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also threatened legal action against Kılıçdaroğlu, whose words on synthetic drugs 'crossed all borders'. For his words about drugs being used to pay off debt during an economic crisis, the head of state added, he 'will have to answer before the law'. The amount of methamphetamine seized by the police increased fivefold from 2019 to 2021 according to the Counter Narcotics Department. For experts, it has become a 'gateway drug', especially among young people in low-income urban areas.

• Turkey
• Erdogan
• democracy
• elections
• press freedom
• disinformation law
• repression
• Islam