Erdogan seeks injunction against German media chief who laughed at poem

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is seeking an injunction against the chief executive of the German publisher Axel Springer.

The president’s lawyer, Ralf Höcker, said Erdogan was taking legal action due to Mathias Döpfner’s support for a poem read out by comedian Jan Böhmermann on German television in March.

In an open letter published inGermany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper in April, Döpfner expressed solidarity with Böhmermann, saying he had laughed out loud at the poem and “wholeheartedly” supported what the comedian had said.

Höcker said he would recommend that Erdogan pursue his case with a higher German court if the preliminary injunction was rejected, as expected. The president’s office was not immediately available for comment.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/10/recep-tayyip-erdogan-turkish-president-injunction-german-media-chief-axel-springer-poem

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Reuters in Berlin
Tuesday 10 May 2016 13.16 BST

[hueymahl]

1. Sounds like Erdogan and Trump have a lot in common NT

[Bad Dog]

2. He's seriously lost it.

◾Between August 2014 and March 2015, 236 people investigated for "insulting the head of state"; 105 indicted; eight formally arrested
◾Between July and December 2014 (Recep Tayyip Erdogan's presidency), Turkey filed 477 requests to Twitter for removal of content, over five times more than any other country and an increase of 156% on the first half of the year
◾Reporters Without Borders places Turkey 149th of 180 countries in the press freedom index
◾During Mr Erdogan's time in office (Prime Minister 2003-14, President from 2014), 63 journalists have been sentenced to a total of 32 years in prison, with collective fines of $128,000
◾Article 299 of the Turkish penal code states that anybody who insults the president of the republic can face a prison term of up to four years. This sentence can be increased by a sixth if committed publicly; and a third if committed by press or media

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32302697

The only thing this court case will achieve is letting more people know how thin skinned Erdogan is. The insults will only get worse. #insulterdogan Then there's reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/insultErdogan/

British author and journalist Douglas Murray announced the start of an “offensive poetry competition” about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 18, amid the ongoing “insult” row between a German comedian and the president.

Murray, who writes for the weekly Spectator magazine, penned the first poem in the competition, which is titled “The President Erdoğan Offensive Poetry Competition.”

The winning poem will be announced on June 23, though Murray said there would be no prize for the winner because he could not find a sponsor for the competition.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/british-writer-starts-offensive-poetry-competition-about-turkeys-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98005&NewsCatID=338

[MowCowWhoHow III]

3. Court rejects Erdogan's injunction against Axel Springer CEO

Court rejects Erdogan's injunction against Axel Springer CEO

Cologne's regional court threw out Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's preliminary injunction application against Axel Springer's CEO, Mathias Döpfner, on Tuesday.

The court said its decision was based on the "constitutionally guaranteed right of the defendant to the freedom of expression."

The injunction was sought after Döpfner (pictured above) published an open letter in one of the media group's newspapers, in which he defended German TV satirist Jan Böhmermann - whose "Defamatory Poem" allegedly insulted Erdogan and sparked tensions between Ankara and Berlin.

"When a potential conflict arises between the fundamental right to the freedom of expression and the personal rights of the plaintiff, it is admissible for Döpfner to publicly express an opinion in this controversial debate," said Christina Harpering, spokeswoman for the court in Cologne.

http://www.dw.com/en/court-rejects-erdogans-injunction-against-axel-springer-ceo/a-19247873?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf