CHP reacts to 'influence agent' bill: A law to hide the truth

The 9th Judicial Package, which is set to come before the Turkish Grand National Assembly, will include "influence agency" under the scope of new types of espionage crimes. Republican People's Party (CHP) Party Spokesperson and İzmir Deputy Deniz Yücel said, "If the influence agency regulation, which is expected to be included in the 9th Judicial Package, is enacted, all criticisms directed at the AKP could be prosecuted under this law. For example, no one will be able to criticize trade with Israel anymore. No one will be able to take human rights violations to the European Court of Human Rights. Thus, the freedom to seek rights will be brought under the scope of agency. They will become uncriticizable and untouchable. The enactment of the influence agency regulation means that the AKP is starting a brand new era of authoritarianism. It seems the AKP has not learned a single thing from its election defeat. Citizens showed a yellow card to the restrictive and polarizing AKP government in the local elections. If the AKP continues in this way with the insistence of not learning a lesson, it will see the red card in the first general elections," he said.

According to the draft of the 9th Judicial Package, a definition of crime known in the public as the "influence agency crime" has been included under the heading of "other activities," to follow Article 339 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237. Accordingly, those who conduct or have research conducted on Turkish citizens or institutions and organizations, or foreigners in Turkey, in line with the strategic interests or instructions of a foreign state or organization against the security or internal or external political interests of the state, will be punished with imprisonment. Speaking against the AKP and criticizing the government will now fall under the scope of influence agency. Regarding the regulation in question, CHP Party Spokesperson, Deputy Chairman, and İzmir Deputy Deniz Yücel said the following:

PROTESTS CONTINUE AGAINST SIMILAR LAW IN GEORGIA

"Protests have been continuing for days in Georgia against the 'transparency of foreign influence' bill, also known as the influence agency law, which targets the financing of non-governmental organizations in Georgia. Thousands of people are protesting this law in Tbilisi. Because they are aware that it is a law that takes away their freedoms. You don't need to be a lawyer to be aware of this. All dissident rhetoric and every criticism from the opposition can easily be brought under the scope of this law. They will bring all criticisms directed at the AKP government under the scope of this law by claiming they are against Turkey."

"INFLUENCE AGENCY" IS A PALACE IMPOSITION

CHP's Yücel pointed out that the President of Georgia vetoed this law, which is called the "Russian law" because it bears similarities to the law enacted by the Kremlin government in Russia. Yücel said, "The President of Georgia found this law to be specific to Russia in its essence and spirit, and vetoed it on the grounds that it is contrary to Georgian law and European standards. However, since Turkey, which has transitioned from a parliamentary system to the Presidential Government System, is a country governed by a one-man regime, it faces the imposition of regulations prepared by the palace, let alone the authority to veto. With this law, many non-governmental organizations and activists are now also in danger, and it could be claimed that they are carrying out activities within the scope of agency. With this regulation, which has the characteristic of being an abstract, vaguely defined law that can be resorted to when needed, the rhetoric of non-governmental organizations, media outlets, and even all kinds of criticism of the government by opposition parties could be evaluated as influence agency under the guise of 'protecting Turkey's interests.' We stand firmly against this dangerous regulation, which ends the environment of social peace and trust, where every dissenting thought will be considered reasonable suspicion, and which will create a climate of suspicion and fear in society, and we stand for freedom of expression," he said.

"A LAW TO HIDE THE TRUTH FROM THE PEOPLE"

Pointing out that this regulation in the 9th Judicial Package will be a regulation that increases oppressive practices, CHP's Yücel stated that if the draft is enacted in this form, it will become impossible to criticize the government on social media, saying, "It will even become impossible to mention the influx of refugees in our country or to talk about the population of illegal migrants and asylum seekers. Thus, the refugee influx into our country will be hidden from the Turkish people. In fact, this is exactly why this law is a law that 'can be resorted to when needed.' Anyone who reports on any regulation or practice that the government does not want to be heard will be declared an agent. Both the public's right to information will be restricted and freedom of expression will be usurped," he said.

THEY TRIED IN THE PAST, THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT HAD ANNULLED IT

Noting that attempts were made to make similar regulations in the past that are contrary to the technique of lawmaking, the basic principles of criminal law, and the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution, Yücel said, "In the past, similar regulations were annulled by the Constitutional Court. However, the AKP continues to bring regulations contrary to the decisions of the Constitutional Court to the parliament, insisting on relying on its majority in the parliament," he said.

On the other hand, Yücel added that this law is contrary to the principle of the rule of law in Article 2 of the Constitution, the principle of the bindingness and supremacy of the Constitution in Article 11, the restriction of fundamental rights and freedoms in Article 13, the freedom of thought and opinion in Article 25, the freedom to express and disseminate thought in Article 26, and the freedom of the press in Article 28.