Turkey is accused of using centrally managed troll accounts to stoke nationalist and racist sentiments, specifically targeting Kurds and other minorities, according to a recent investigation by reporters Meltem Oktay and Ali Ammar from Özgür Politika.
The report, released on Thursday, claims that troll accounts operated by bodies like Turkey’s former ‘Special Warfare Department’ — officially dissolved after the end of the Cold War but believed by many to continue as a think-tank focusing on media manipulation — are intensifying a digital campaign against the Kurdish people.These networks, allegedly orchestrated by state-linked figures such as Justice and Development Party (AKP) member Fahrettin Altun and the pro-government think-tank the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), aim to manipulate public perception, stir racial hatred and suppress political opposition.
“These accounts do not just spread misinformation; they are actively involved in dividing society and hindering the development of social opposition,” Oktay and Ammar wrote, noting how the accounts have created a platform for hate speech against Kurds, Arabs and other minority communities in Turkey. The report draws parallels with the role of hate-filled radio broadcasts in the Rwandan genocide, highlighting the dangerous potential of state-influenced digital manipulation.
The troll networks reportedly emerged more forcefully, promoting a nationalist resurgence and laying the groundwork for attacks against opposition figures, following the electoral defeats of the ruling AKP and its coalition partner the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). This digital strategy, reminiscent of historical propaganda tactics, continues to shape Turkey’s political landscape by spreading disinformation and fostering division.
