Turkish police said they have arrested 78 people accused of inciting fear and panic by aharing provocative posts about last week's earthquake on social media.

Police also said 20 of them were being held in pre-trial detention, Reuters reported.

Turkey's General Directorate of Security said it had identified 613 people accused of posting provocative posts, and legal proceedings have been initiated against 293. The prosecutor general has ordered the arrest of 78 people.

The department added that 46 Web sites were shut down for running phishing programs that tried to steal donations intended for earthquake victims, and 15 social media accounts posing as official institutions were shut down.

Last October, Turkey's parliament passed a law that imprisons journalists and social media users for up to three years for spreading "disinformation," prompting criticism from human rights organizations and European countries over free speech.