Turkish gov’t withdraws 'agents of influence' bill

The Turkish government once again withdrew the “agents of influence” bill, aimed at enhancing efforts against “espionage activities,” main opposition CHP Group Deputy Chair Murat Emir announced.

Thursday November 14 2024 01:06 pm

Duvar English

The Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has withdrawn the bill dubbed “agents of influence,” which aimed at enhancing efforts against “espionage activities.”

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Group Deputy Chair Murat Emir announced the move on Nov. 13, saying it happened “as a result of our efforts to inform the public with the great support of our people for weeks, as well as our work and criticism in the parliament.”

Kamuoyunda etki ajanlığı olarak bilinen kanun teklifi, haftalardır sürdürdüğümüz gerek halkımızın büyük desteğini alarak kamuoyunu bilgilendirme çalışmalarımız ile gerek meclisteki çalışmalarımız ve eleştirilerimiz sonucunda an itibari ile geri çekildi.
— Murat Emir (@muratemirchp) November 13, 2024

“We got the result of the opposition standing together and the strong reaction of the social opposition. There was nothing rational about the bill and the government turned back from a mistake,” Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Group Deputy Chair Sezai Temelli said.

The AKP figures, on the other hand, reportedly said that they will rework on the bill and resubmit it to the Parliament.

The government previously withdrew the bill in 2023 upon the criticisms.

With the bill, the government aimed to introduce a new offense in the Turkish Penal Code to enhance efforts against “espionage activities.”

According to the bill, “Those committing crimes in line with the strategic interests or instructions of a foreign state or organization, against the security of the state or its internal or external political interests, will be punished with three to seven years of imprisonment.”

Critics have stated that the bill would be instrumentalized to threaten “journalistic independence and freedom of expression” as the government did with the infamous “disinformation law.”

Previously CHP leader Özgür Özel criticized the draft and likened President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Russian President Vladimir Putin who also introduced similar laws targeting the opposition.

Civil society organizations also criticized the proposal, warning that its vague definitions could be misused to target NGOs, which the government often labels as being influenced or controlled by Western interests.