A journalist from an anti-government newspaper in Turkey is being investigated for allegedly spreading disinformation in a tweet and a report about the Turkish Red Crescent’s (Kızılay) purchasing aid packages from a company affiliated with an influential religious group, the Birgün daily reported.
Birgün ran a story filed by reporter İsmail Arı on March 10, 2023 about how Kızılay chose to purchase aid packages from Nakış Gıda (Food), affiliated with the influential Menzil religious group in eastern Turkey.
The food packages were purchased for delivery to the victims of two powerful earthquakes that hit Turkey’s south and southeast on February 6 of last year, killing more than 53,000 people and causing massive devastation.
Video footage was also posted on Kızılay’s X page showing Kızılay warehouses filled with aid packages marked with the Nakış Gıda logo.
Arı is being investigated by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office based on a criminal complaint filed by Kızılay. He is accused of spreading disinformation under the controversial “disinformation” law, which criminalizes the dissemination of “false or misleading information” and stipulates prison sentences of between one and three years.
The law, which was approved in parliament and signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in October 2022, has attracted widespread criticism from rights groups and the opposition on accusations that it will further cripple free speech in Turkey.
Arı, who testified to prosecutors as part of the investigation, said his writing the article that prompted the investigation into him was professional activity aimed at informing the public. He denied having spread any disinformation.
Menzil has become one of the most influential religious movements in Turkey in recent years, attracting significant attention from the public. Its followers are known to be among the strongest supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and occupy posts in the bureaucracy, win public tenders and secure other benefits in return for their support.
The organization, founded by Abdulhakim Erol, who was born in 1902 and passed away in 1972, and was named after the village of Menzil in Adıyaman province and has followers in many parts of Turkey and other countries.
Rights groups routinely accuse Turkey of undermining media freedom by arresting journalists and shutting down critical media outlets, especially since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan survived a failed coup in July 2016.
Turkey is ranked 165th in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2023 World Press Freedom Index, among 180 countries, not far from North Korea, which occupies the bottom of the list.