When Turkey was hit by a deadly earthquake on February 6, freelance journalist Mir Ali Koçer was 200 miles from the epicenter. He gathered his camera and microphone and headed down to the affected area to speak with survivors.
On Twitter, he shared testimonies of survivors and rescuers. He is currently being investigated on suspicion of disseminating "fake news" and could spend up to three years in prison.
At least four journalists are being looked into for their reporting or comments on the earthquake. He is one of them.
Numerous more, according to press freedom organizations, have reportedly been arrested, harassed, or prevented from reporting.
Earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria both claimed at least 50,000 lives.
The detentions have not been addressed by Turkey's authorities.
On the night of the earthquake, Mr. Koçer—a Kurd who writes for news outlets that support the opposition, such as Bianet and Duvar—was smoking on his balcony in the city of Diyarbakir in the southeast when his two dogs started barking out of the blue.
Later, he recalled how they had sounded exactly like that in 2020, just prior to a smaller earthquake that struck eastern Turkey.
"I sensed myself shaking. According to Mr. Koçer, "I felt the TV shaking and the house shaking. He took the dogs and hid under a dining room table before running outside.
Mr. Koçer departed Diyarbakir and traveled by car to Gaziantep. In towns close to the earthquake's epicenter, he was horrified to see scenes of devastation and victims enduring subzero temperatures.
At least 3,000 people perished in Gaziantep as a result of the earthquake.
When holding the microphone, in front of the camera, or behind it, Mr. Koçer recalls, "I could not hold back my tears.".
The rescue teams and volunteers from Western Turkey touched Mr. Koçer, and he shared their stories on Twitter. He was told by some of the survivors that they went days without assistance. Similar complaints were cited by media outlets that supported the opposition.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised the people he would rebuild their cities while visiting the earthquake-affected areas. He added that those who were causing "social chaos" and spreading "fake news" would face legal action and were "provocateurs.".
When Mr. Koçer was reporting from the earthquake-affected area, he claims Diyarbakir police left a note at his apartment telling him to go to the police station and make a statement.
He learned at the station that he was being looked into in accordance with a recently passed disinformation law. According to him, the police questioned him about his reporting from the epicenter of the earthquake and accused him of disseminating false information.
The new law in Turkey was approved in October. It made it illegal to spread false information in public and greatly expanded the state's ability to regulate news websites and social media.
The law would restrict freedom of expression, according to the Venice Commission, a legal watchdog of the Council of Europe.
It is referred to as a "censorship law" by opposition parties.
Mr. Koçer insists that he was meticulous in his work and interviewed everyone involved, including survivors as well as members of the police, gendarmerie, and rescue crews. "I did not share information without careful investigation and evaluation," he claims.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the authorities to end the investigation into Mr. Koçer, labeling it "absurd.".
At least three more journalists are reportedly facing criminal charges, according to the advocacy group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Two well-known political commentators with sizable social media followings are Merdan Yanarda and Enver Aysever, both of Istanbul. Both have criticized the government's efforts to intervene. Along with Mehmet Güleş, who, like Mr. Koçer, is based in Diyarbakir, they are all being investigated. According to RSF, he was arrested on suspicion of "inciting hatred" after speaking with a volunteer who was critical of the government's rescue effort and later released.
It's unclear how many additional journalists are being looked into. The police claimed to have arrested 25 people on Tuesday after detaining 134 people for "provocative posts," but their identities have not been made public. Some of those who were detained might have been spreading rumors that Afghan immigrants were scavenging in abandoned neighborhoods, for example.
Critics assert that the crackdown has extended well beyond those who disseminate false information, however.
Cyber rights expert Yaman Akdeniz, a professor at Istanbul Bilgi University, claims that "the government is trying to suppress information coming from the earthquake zone.".
After Turkey's presidential communications director issued a warning against "lethal disinformation" endangering the rescue efforts, the arrests followed. In addition, the directorate released a smartphone app called "Disinformation Reporting Service" that invites users to report misinformational posts about the earthquake.
Journalist Arzu Geybulla, who focuses on digital authoritarianism and censorship in Istanbul, claims that "[Turkish] officials and the government don't like it whenever they are criticized.".
"But perhaps they are speaking louder this time. ".
The BBC enquired about the journalists under investigation and the requests for the investigations to be dropped by advocacy groups but has received no response from Turkey's presidential directorate for communications.
