Turkish police have launched a campaign aimed at preventing opposition parties from participating in any effort to provide aid to citizens in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Security forces arrested some members of the opposition Future Party, led by former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, for distributing free masks to citizens.
“The police arrested five members for distributing free masks, as part of the party’s efforts to confront the spread of coronavirus,” said Veysel Babahan, head of the party's branch in Bitlis state, southeastern Turkey.
Babahan said the government wants to prevent the party from appearing in positive positions, believing it “can restrict us by such practices."
The police have earlier arrested three members of the Republican People's Party (CHP) for distributing bread to citizens after the government prevented opposition municipalities from collecting donations or providing any aid to those affected by the virus.
Investigations started with CHP-loyal Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas and other municipal officials of the opposition for participating in fundraising campaigns to help citizens in their cities to face the repercussions of the pandemic.
The Health Ministry also closed a field hospital set up by the CHP-affiliated Municipality of Adana, southern Turkey, in line with preventing the opposition from contributing in any way to helping citizens.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused opposition-run municipalities of seeking to become a state within the state, such as terrorist and separatist organizations.
Meanwhile, and in light of the campaigns launched by the government to tighten its grip on social media users, the parliament is scheduled to discuss a bill submitted by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is allied with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The bill stipulates that users shall provide their ID number before starting social media accounts.
According to MHP deputy Halil Ozturk, the draft law aims at preventing the creation of fake accounts on social media platforms.
It imposes heavy administrative fines for social network service providers who do not comply with the sanctions included in the proposed bill if applied.
