Posted on 04/15/2016 3:09:46 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spent the last two years as head of state ensuring that if someone insults him, he doesn’t just find about it — he does something about it.
A doctor compares him to the fictional character of Gollum? Bring him to court. A teenage student questions his authority at a school assembly? Have him spend the night in jail. German comedian Jan Böhmermann sits beneath a framed portrait of Erdogan while on a German television show and reads a satirical poem accusing him of watching child porn and repressing Turkish minorities, including Christians? Demand that Berlin prosecute him.
On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who needs Turkey’s support in the ongoing refugee crisis, ceded to Erdogan’s request.
“In a constitutional democracy, weighing up personal rights against freedom of the press and freedom of expression is not a matter for governments, but for public prosecutors and courts,” Merkel said while announcing she has authorized German prosecutors to move forward with the case if they choose to.
Böhmermann knew when he performed the poem on German broadcaster ZDF on March 31 that it could land him in hot water. Erdogan doesn’t let insults slide, and under German law, it is technically illegal to insult the representative of a foreign government. If a foreign leader wants to press charges against an individual for the insult, the German government needs to authorize it.
(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spent the last two years as head of state ensuring that if someone insults him, he doesn’t just find about it — he does something about it.
A doctor compares him to the fictional character of Gollum? Bring him to court. A teenage student questions his authority at a school assembly? Have him spend the night in jail. German comedian Jan Böhmermann sits beneath a framed portrait of Erdogan while on a German television show and reads a satirical poem accusing him of watching child porn and repressing Turkish minorities, including Christians? Demand that Berlin prosecute him.
On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who needs Turkey’s support in the ongoing refugee crisis, ceded to Erdogan’s request.
Nazi genes have not been selected out.
Gee, Merkel could just eliminate some steps and turn the infidel over to Erdogan for as little islamic justice. What a disgrace Merkel has become.
You can take the girl out of East Germany, but you can’t take the East Germany out of the girl.
Why are we defending Germany again?
Sad!
Lets be fair here. The Germans probably prosecuted lots of people for attacking Bush. Oh wait...
But it’s still OK for me to call Merkel a Stasi whore, right?
They are going to Behead him in Germany?
Hitler years are being repeated.
Those coexist bumper stickers are nature’s way of telling you the driver of that car has a room temperature IQ.
Ich verstehe nicht.
Merkel is scary - and reportedly has a close relationship with Zuckerman.
Zuckerman?
Jan Böhmermann may be lucky. In our country, a comedian insults the leader and they end up dead. Just ask Joan Rivers.
She took the heat off of it quite nicely. She moves it to prosecutors who will take their time about it and then dismiss it later when it is forgotten. If that is what happens, it is a good move just kick the “migrants” out before then.
With a smile ... yes!
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