Turkey Considers Prison Terms for Publishing Unapproved Economic Data
ANKARA (Bloomberg) – Turkish economic researchers may face up to three years in prison if they publish unofficial data on indicators without first seeking approval from the country’s statistics agency. According to reports, the Turkish government had planned to submit the proposed legislation to parliament this week but has held off while officials do further work on it, two party officials said on condition of anonymity. Last month, the Turkish Statistical Institute had filed a criminal complaint against ENAGroup, an independent inflation researcher, accusing it of “purposefully defaming” the institution and “misguiding public opinion.”