Freedom of Expression is not Tolerated in Turkey

The report “The State of Asylum and Deportation,” published by German Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the freedom of expression in Turkey stated that Turkey’s judiciary is mostly dysfunctional and that fundamental rights guaranteed by its constitution have largely been undermined.

The report underlined that subscribing to certain publications and using a particular bank or messaging app are sufficient evidence for the country’s courts to convict someone of terrorism over ties to the opposition Gülen movement.

Criticizing Turkish security forces’ excessive use of force in southeastern Turkey can also be considered terrorist propaganda by authorities, according to the report.

Last year 10,800 Turkish citizens applied for asylum in Germany, and nearly half of the requests were granted, according to the report. “It can be assumed that Turkish authorities are spying on opponents of the government abroad, including in particular the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and Gülen supporters, as well as observing the activities of associations registered in Germany,” the report said.

The report also mentions recent regulations on social media and states that conventional media has synchronized itself with the government. Foreign social media companies with high Internet traffic will be required to appoint a representative in the country to address concerns raised by authorities over content on their platforms. 

Huge administrative fines are imposed on social network providers that fail to abide by provisions of the legislation in terms of content removal stemming from individuals as well as government authorities. Companies that do not comply with the new measures could face having their bandwidth halved after 30 days by court order, and then slashed by 95 percent if they persist another 30 days.