MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Coronavirus watch: Investigation against Ahmet Kanbal
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Ahmet Kanbal
CITY
Mardin
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2020
LAST UPDATED
12/06/2020
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Other
MEDIUM
Internet
News Agency
THE TITLE OF WHOSE RIGHT IS INTERFERED
Journalist
RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Right to Impart Information and Ideas
TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
Judicial Interference
Public Prosecution Offices
Opening a criminal investigation
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
Turkish Penal Code
Art. 216/1

An investigation is launched against Mezopotamya Agency journalist Ahmet Kanbal for allegedly “provoking public to hatred and threat”. The charges are built upon Kanbal’s article on 3 corona-positive children who were kept in the same room with 7 corona-negative children at Mardin State Hospital. Journalist was requested to proffer his statement at Mardin Police Station.

In June 2020, decision of non-prosecution was made concluding that the news article didn’t constituted threat, one of the elements of the alleged crime.