Turkey demands Germany prosecute comedian for Erdogan insult

[MowCowWhoHow III]

Source: The Telegraph

Angela Merkel is facing a political dilemma after Turkey demanded one of Germany’s most popular comedians face prosecution for insulting its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The row could jeopardise the EU’s controversial migrant deal with Turkey.

The German government confirmed on Monday it had received a “formal request” from Turkey over the weekend indicating it wishes to press charges in the case.

If Mrs Merkel agrees to allow the prosecution, she will face accusations of limiting free speech to placate the authoritarian Mr Erdogan. But if she refuses it could put the migrant deal with Turkey, which she personally brokered, at risk.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/11/turkey-demands-germany-prosecute-comedian-for-erdogan-insult/

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Prosecuting Böhmermann satire could 'cost Merkel the chancellery'

Jan Böhmermann has probably never received this much attention in his entire life. The German comedian is at the center of a controversy surrounding the question of what qualifies as satire and how far the limits of free speech stretch.

On Monday, the German government announced it would look into Turkey's request to prosecute Böhmermann for a taunting poem the satirist presented in his weekly TV show, "Neo Magazine Royale." In it, Böhmermann called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "zoophile," accusing him of sleeping with goats and beating up girls, Christians and Kurds.

In his show, the comedian said that the poem he was about to read would be illegal and that he wanted to show what satire is and isn't allowed to do in Germany. The law in question prohibits insulting foreign heads of state. One of its particularities is that the German government, and not the state prosecutor, has to decide whether to take up criminal proceedings.

"I find it problematic that the government, which is not part of the judiciary, has to make this decision," political scientist and journalist Frank Überall told DW. "Government politicians are stuck in this intricate diplomatic web and decisions like this one have no place in that."

http://www.dw.com/en/prosecuting-b%C3%B6hmermann-satire-could-cost-merkel-the-chancellery/a-19179199

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

1. I guess they don't understand free speech in Turkey.

[Akicita]

7. Does Germany have free speech? If so, then why is Merkel in a dilemma over what to do?

Last edited Mon Apr 11, 2016, 04:32 PM - Edit history (1)

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

8. Apparently not - if you criticize a world leader.

Doesn't sound like free speech to me.

[christx30]

9. They also have laws against

hate speech.
If Merkel were to prosecute, it'd probably be under something like that.
Hopefully she can direct the prosecutors to do a bad job in trying the case, and it'll be dismissed. Give her some political cover.
But after all the crap that Merkel has put her people through in the last year, the least she could do is tell Turkey where to stick their demands.

[northernsouthern]

2. Is Recep crazy?

I read this a few times and I know he likes to repress and beat his own people, but damn I still can't believe he is trying this. I think it is time for all comedians to make fun of him. I am looking your way John Oliver!

[MidwestTech]

3. ROT OP Turkie klotezakken!

it's called free speech Turkey. it's a requirement of joining the EU, give it a try!
I hope Angela Merkel tells them off.
Comedians offend people... that's kinda their job.
Not everyone is going to like or agree with a comedian of xyz point of view... that's comedy for you.
it's getting harder to be accepting of these Islamic countries when they are so damned intolerant of anything a LITTLE offensive.

[LiberalFighter]

4. Didn't know that Turkey was a EU member.

[Ironing Man]

10. its not...

Turkey isn't an EU member, but it has been in a process for the best part of 20 years to join - the wind blows hot and cold, both within the EU and Turkey, and the unfortunate truth for the EU is that at the current time the EU needs Turkey more than Turkey needs the EU.

Turkey is undoubtedly stringing the EU along - while it would like access to the EU markets, its politics mean that it has no intention of allowing the EU's rules to interfere with its rather interesting ideas about press freedom, the independance of the justiciary, human rights etc... it also has foreign policies that are fundamentally at odds with the EU's security, and it isn't about to change them to please Europe.

to be fair, the EU has been stringing Turkey along - while the UK and Germany have long been working for Turkish membership, France, and others, have long been utterly opposed - and in order for a new member to join requires unanimous approval by all the member states, and that is just not going to happen.

Merkel needs Turkey because only Turkey can mitigate the vast numbers of migrants flowing into Europe - and Germany in particular - Merkel needs that number to radically reduce or she's in very deep electoral trouble. Turkey, rather obviously, is taking advantage of that.

who would have guessed that when you make a deal with the Devil, the Devil would eventually want paying..?

[Jack Rabbit]

5. "Prosecuting Böhmermann satire could 'cost Merkel the chancellery'"

I'm sure Erdogan would be happy to give Frau Merkel advice on how to achieve the desired outcome in any contested election. He has some experience in these matters.

[Journeyman]

6. Guess you had to hear Bohmermann's poem, for it doesn't sound very funny or profound. . .

but then, so little comedy makes the transition from one medium to another (let alone one language to another).

That said, I think Erdogan, indeed, anyone, is always better off not challenging comedians. But we shall see. Germany doesn't exactly have free speech the way we enshrine it here in the U.S., what with their proscriptions against hate speech and assorted touchy topics, so it'll be interesting to learn how Merkel handles this.