Atatürk principles clause removed from omnibus bill: Hüda Par requested, it was done
The provision stating that "no publications contrary to the principles and reforms of Atatürk may be made" in the draft law discussed at the TBMM Planning and Budget Committee was removed from the text upon the objection of Hüda Par.
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A significant change was made to the article regarding press and publication principles within the scope of the omnibus bill discussed at the Planning and Budget Committee in Parliament. In the initial version of the legislative proposal brought by the government, the section on press and publication principles for newspapers, magazines, and internet news sites included the phrase, "No publications may be made that are contrary to the existence and independence of the Republic of Turkey, the indivisible integrity of the state with its territory and nation, and the principles and reforms of Atatürk."
However, this regulation caused discomfort within the Hüda Par wing. In an assessment made by the party's legal unit, it was stated that the relevant article both imposed a restriction on press and freedom of expression and "meant the reimposition of the official ideology in Turkey on society." In line with these views, Hüda Par requested that the article be removed from the omnibus bill.
During the negotiations in the committee, AK Party deputies pointed out that the regulation in question contained ambiguity. Subsequently, the problematic article was removed from the proposal with a motion submitted by AK Party deputies Orhan Yegin, Seydi Gülsoy, Hüseyin Altınsoy, Ejder Açıkkapı, and Ertuğrul Kocacık.
Thus, no consensus could be reached on this provision, which could have led to the cutting of advertisements and announcements that could be given to newspapers, magazines, and internet news sites through the Press Advertising Agency, and the article was withdrawn from the bill. With the withdrawal of the regulation, restrictive expressions regarding Atatürk's principles were no longer included among the conditions that the press would be required to comply with.
In a statement made by the Hüda Par legal unit, it was stated, "The provision added to the new omnibus bill proposal that 'no publications contrary to the principles and reforms of Atatürk may be made' is not only a regulation that narrows press and freedom of expression, but also an attempt to re-fortify the official ideology that has been imposed on society in Turkey for years."