A lawsuit was filed against journalist Ahmet Kanbal on the charge of “spreading misleading information” (TCK 217/A), citing his social media posts regarding the ballot box, which remained unreported for a while.

The first hearing was held on 18 October 2023 at the Mardin 1st Criminal Court of First Instance.

The case was postponed to 13 December 2023 (18 October).

Mardin 1st High Criminal Court acquitted Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporter Ahmet Kanbal, who was tried on the charge of “publicly disseminating misleading information” due to the “lost ballot box” news and social media posts. The second hearing of the case filed against Kanbal on the grounds of “disinformation” on the grounds of his news and social media posts about the disappearance of the ballot box No. 1363 established in Martin’s Artuklu district during the May 14 elections was held. School principal Mustafa Üstündağ Benli, who was heard as a witness at the hearing, stated that they kept a report with the police stating that the ballot box was missing, and that the ballot box president called them late at night and told them that he was at the courthouse. Kanbal also stated that the witness statements revealed the truth of the news; “As journalists and professional organizations, we said that the government enacted this article to achieve its own goals and prevent news reporting. “First of all, I request that attempts to remove this article be initiated before the court,” he said. The court decided to acquit, in line with the opinion of the trial prosecutor (December 13).