A total of 37 people have been arrested in Turkey for spreading alleged false news on social media about the earthquakes that struck the country last Monday, Turkish police reported Friday.
Ten of those arrested They were sent to pretrial detention and the rest are still in police stations or was released.
According to an official statement, 302 account managers were identified as spreading provocative messages about the earthquake.
The Turkish opposition and many social media users fear that the conservative Islamist government will consider any message critical of earthquake management “provocative” and will punish those people for spreading “provocative messages”.
The Istanbul General Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation on January 7 against two well-known journalists, accused of "Openly inciting the public to hatred and enmity."
Both criticized the government's earthquake policy and the mismanagement of the current disaster.
”I can't express my feelings so that I don't go to jail." summed up the situation Feyyaz Yigit, a well-known actor and screenwriter, in a Twitter message.
