Turkish journalist detained and X account blocked under disinformation law

Ali Tarakcı, a Turkish journalist, was arrested on Saturday after he posted on X that a “very important minister” would resign on Friday, a claim that proved false. The press crimes unit of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation, citing Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalises the dissemination of false information intended to cause public alarm. Prosecutors ordered his detention, a raid on his residence, and the seizure of his electronic devices.

Following the prosecutors’ request, Ankara’s 7th Criminal Court of Peace ordered that Tarakcı’s entire X account be inaccessible to users in Turkey, and the platform complied. The law, enacted in 2022 and often referred to as Turkey’s disinformation law, carries a possible prison term of one to three years. The Committee to Protect Journalists has criticized the statute’s use against reporters, and the account block occurs amid a broader pattern of X restrictions, including the recent blocking of digital-rights advocate Yaman Akdeniz’s account. The Freedom of Expression Association has documented similar censorship of journalists, academics and economists.