MÊRDÎN - A lawsuit was filed against our reporter Ahmet Kanbal on the grounds of "terrorism propaganda", citing a news story he posted. In the indictment, a photograph that was not posted was used as justification for the allegation.
The investigation against Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporter Ahmet Kanbal, who was detained during the home raids in Mêrdîn on October 6, has been completed. Mardin 2nd High Criminal Court accepted the one-page indictment prepared for "making propaganda for a terrorist organization". In the indictment, the charge was made for resharing a news story posted by MA on her X (twitter) account.
NEWS POSTING IS A CRIME
The news posted on MA's regarding the reason in question, "Mezopotamya Agency, in its content titled 'QSD: 9 of our fighters lost their lives in the crashed helicopter', wrote Zagros Çekdar code Mesut Celal Osman, Rojda Afrin code Dilber İsa, Khalaf Abid code Yiyad El Gamiş and others wearing military camouflage and military assault vests." It was stated that he posted the news containing photographs of individuals whose identities could not be determined and who are considered to be members of the PKK/KCK/YPG armed terrorist organization.
PHOTO MENTIONED BY THE PROSECUTOR HAS NOT BEEN POSTED!
However, in the news shared from MA's X account with the title "QSD: 9 of our fighters lost their lives in the crashed helicopter", there is no photo mentioned by the prosecutor. Contrary to the prosecution's claim that "they were wearing military camouflage and assault vests...", the news appears to have been posted with the flag of the Democratic Syrian Forces (DSG).
In the police report, a screenshot of the said post was included. In the screenshot, there is no photograph of SDF members "wearing military camouflage and assault vests" as claimed by the prosecutor.
CLAIM: REPORTING-NEWS LIMIT HAS BEEN EXCEEDED
The indictment also claimed that "the limits of freedom of expression and reporting were exceeded" with the post in question. It continued: "The suspect's aim was to increase the political and social effectiveness of the organization and ensure its active support, to ensure that its voice is heard by the masses, to increase the public's sympathy for the organization and to ensure its active support." It was stated that "the sharing he shared cannot be considered within the scope of freedom of news".