 Party was briefly detained and later removed from his post after falsely claiming on social media that far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli had died, the private DHA news agency reported.){kind=link}
A provincial chairman of Turkey’s opposition Gelecek (Future) Party was briefly detained and later removed from his post after falsely claiming on social media that far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli had died, the private DHA news agency reported.
Hasan Kamil Velioğlu, the Gelecek Party’s Trabzon provincial chairman, claimed in a social media post on Thursday that Bahçeli had “passed away some time ago” and that an official announcement was forthcoming. He also extended condolences to MHP members.
The post quickly gained attention, prompting the Trabzon Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to take action. Velioğlu was detained by police but was later released under judicial supervision.
Bahçeli, 77, underwent heart surgery earlier this month and has been recovering at home in Ankara. His health has been the subject of widespread speculation in Turkey although MHP officials have been denying claims about his allegedly declining health and say he is recovering.
Following Velioğlu’s detention, the Gelecek Party announced his removal from office. Ömer Ünal, a senior party official, confirmed the decision, saying that Velioğlu was dismissed for “sharing false information regarding Bahçeli’s health.”
Meanwhile, MHP Deputy Chairman İzzet Ulvi Yönter, issued a new statement about Bahçeli’s health on Friday, saying he talks to him on the phone every day and that speculative news about his health is “lies” and “fabrication.”
The widespread speculation about Bahçeli’s health, who has not been seen in public for about three weeks, reveals the sensitivity surrounding political figures’ health in Turkey, where misinformation can quickly spread on social media.
The Turkish government has been cracking down on the dissemination of false news, particularly when it pertains to high-profile politicians.
Bahçeli is a political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The Turkish parliament adopted a “disinformation law” in October 2022 that has attracted widespread criticism for being a draconian measure targeting free speech and independent journalists. The law criminalizes the dissemination of “false or misleading information” and stipulates prison sentences of between one and three years.