MA reporter Ahmet Kanbal, who was detained by the police during a raid on his home in Mêrdîn on October 6, was released on the evening of the same day after his statement was taken regarding some of his news and social media posts. To date, 25 investigations have been launched against Kanbal, who has been detained twice in the last 6 months, due to his professional activities, and he has been detained 12 times, 5 of which were home raids. Journalist Ahmet Kanbal, who was literally trapped by the police and the judiciary, talked about his experiences.

 

'HOME RAID IS AN ATTEMPT TO CRIMINALIZE'

 

Stating that his house was raided by special operations police around 05.40 early in the morning, Kanbal said: “My house was raided before, but the last raid was very different. My house was raided by a large group of special operations police officers accompanied by heavy weapons. It was as if a very important and major operation was being carried out. There were also many armored vehicles. The raid on my house like this worried both me and my neighbors."

 

Stating that such raids also aim to criminalize the neighborhood where he lives, Kanbal said: "No information was shared with me regarding the reason for my detention when I was detained. When we went to the police station, we learned that the detention was completely arbitrary. I was held at the police station for a day. During this process, we saw how empty the file was and that this operation was only for perception because when we went to the police station, we learned that even the prosecutor was not aware of this file and the operation."

 

'THE STATE TRIED TO PRODUCE A CRIME'

 

Stating that there were attempts to frame a crime against him at the Police Department, Kanbal said: "My social media accounts were accessed for this purpose and a few of his previous posts were presented as criminal elements. The posts in question were used in previous investigations and that a decision of non-prosecution was given. I say the operation is empty because they have neither an accusation nor a file. After the Ankara explosion, we were detained in accordance with the general instructions from the Ministry. 12 people were detained including me. This operation was aimed at deceiving the public and creating perception. As a result, we were all released on the night of the day we were detained."

 

EQUIPMENT WAS SEIZED

 

Stating that the raids not only criminalized the public, but also tried to prevent working life, Kanbal said: “Because my house was raided twice in the last 6 months, and in these raids, 3 phones, a camera, a camera, two computers and two hard disks were confiscated. While I was not able to retrieve my technical equipment that was confiscated during the raid on April 25, my new equipment was confiscated again. When we look at today's costs, it is a huge cost. This situation also creates a situation of economic violence. These steps show that this is a behavior aimed at hindering my working life because the last time I was detained, everyone who was detained with me was given their phones, but mine was not. This is entirely aimed at preventing my working life due to the discomfort caused by my reporting in Mêrdîn and the region."

 

'JOURNALISM IS A PUBLIC DUTY'

 

Stating that their work cannot be prevented by detentions and investigations, Kanbal said the following: “They will not be able to stop or hinder our journalism with these operations. We will continue our journalism, if necessary, without any equipment, just by telling the public our thoughts and ideas. As Free Press workers, we will continue our work in the same way as we have struggled in the past. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism is a public duty and we will continue our journalism to pay our respect to these people."