US think tank analyzed: “The fragility of digital elections is high in Turkey”

Freedom House, a Washington-based think tank that conducts research on the state of democracy and human rights around the world, focused on what kind of interference could occur in the electoral process in Turkey in the digital environment before the elections on May 14.

According to news reported by Voice of America Turkish, Freedom House examined the upcoming elections in 14 countries, including Turkey, within the scope of the pilot research project titled “Electoral Monitoring in the Digital Age”. Freedom House has prepared an “Electoral Vulnerability Index” for the project, which takes into account political rights and internet freedoms in countries.

The index identifies problems that can occur in the countries it examines, such as influence operations in the online environment before elections, Internet access blackouts and tensions between different groups on social networks. While a maximum of 100 points can be scored, this score shows the lowest selection vulnerability. Freedom House awarded 33 points to Turkey for the May 14 elections on this index.

Freedom House also rated Turkey in the Non-Free Country category with 32 points in its 2023 Freedoms in the World report released this month. Likewise, in the 2022 Freedom on the Internet report, Turkey was included in the Unfree Country category.

‘THE ACTIONS OF THE OPPOSITION CAN BE RESTRICTED’

Freedom House, in its analysis of Turkey for the project, commented that the May 14 elections could pose significant challenges for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP.

Referring to the earthquakes that struck Turkey in its analysis, Freedom House claimed that the 3-month state of emergency declared in 10 earthquake-affected provinces gave the government powers to restrict fundamental rights. It was noted that authorities in the region could block campaign materials and rallies online and in public, and the political activities of opposition parties could be restricted.

In the review article, it was also recalled that access to Twitter was blocked for 12 hours after the earthquake and access to Ekşi Sözlük was banned.

Freedom House claimed that in the past ten years the AKP, which has been in power since 2002, has changed electoral laws, interfered with the independence of the judiciary and cracked down on the opposition.

WARNING OF INTERVENTION IN 4 TITLES

Freedom House listed possible interventions in the digital environment before the elections in Turkey under four headings:

– Blocking of websites and social networks and removal of content
– Manipulation of information
– Arrests and trials
– Harassment and intimidation

Noting that thousands of websites are blocked in Turkey, including many independent media and citizen journalism organizations, Freedom House noted that such technical censorship prevents voters from accessing accurate and varied sources of information before going to the polls.