Posted on 04/20/2016 7:06:55 AM PDT by george76
Since Erdogan was elected president in August 2014 he has sued at least 1,845 Turks for insulting him. Now his judicial challenges have been exported to Europe.
Angela Merkel's decision to allow Böhmermann's prosecution hardly complies with the European culture of civil liberties.
Now the Turkish journalists and artists will even suffer more." — Rebecca Harms, co-chair of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance at the European Parliament.
The trouble is, the more Erdogan realizes that his blackmailing works, the more willing he will be to export his poor democratic culture into Europe. Merkel has set the wrong precedent and given the prickly sultan what he wants.
...
An obscure German law, dating back to 1871, was used to silence Iranian dissidents critical of Iran's Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in the 1960s and 1970s. Now Erdogan has become the third foreign leader taking advantage of that law after a popular German comic satirized him in crude terms.
The law allows prosecution in Germany for insulting a foreign leader, but only with the consent of the government. German Chancellor Angela Merkel granted her consent for the prosecution of German comedian Jan Böhmermann, although she promised that the law allowing legal proceedings would be repealed in 2018.
(Excerpt) Read more at gatestoneinstitute.org ...
It is time to return to the Turkey “Good Old Days” when the Military staged Coups and took over the Government.
My FR survey data calls BS.
Bambi is insulted at a much higher rate than Erdogan.
This is only happening because the EU is desperately trying to get a deal where they can send the worst migrants back to Turkey (but then Erdogan will just let them come right back)
That would require that Turkish generals be committed to Kemal Ataturk’s secular society. Most of those have been purged by Erdogan.
The days when the Turkish military intervened to offset chaos, supervise elections, and then return to barracks, are probably long over.
Ataturk must be turning over in his grave to see what Erdogan has done to Ataturk’s secular policies.
Unfortunately, you are correct.
The Ataturk Mausoleum is Turkiye’s secular shrine & the most popular tourist site in the country. Erdogan would probably like to close it to the public. Those rumblings in the sarcophagus, you know.
For a fact Erdogan wants to convert Hagia Sophia back into a mosque (Ataturk made it a museum in 1935). He is waiting for just the right “Anti-Islam incident” to make his move.
“An obscure German law, dating back to 1871”.
Actually, one can criticize the ACTIONS of a foreign leader.
Since 1871, Germany has started 2 World Wars (Action) - time to think more in-house, than ‘foreign leaders’ - that includes Merkel’s actions.
Very interesting! please keep me posted. I’ve watched Erdogan for years as he gets more coverage in Europe. The battle still rages over whether or not to admit Turkey to the E.U.
Europe is about to be up to its armpits in Turks & other Muslims. Denying EU membership to the Ankara government will be like lashing it with a wet noodle. Erdogan will reply,
“Won’t let us into EU? Fine. Here, have some more Turks!”
I think the Europeans are waking up like the Americans. Most of the French problem comes because of the former French Colonies like Algeria. Tens of thousands of Muslim soldiers fought for France. We allow foreigners to fight in our Armed Forces. It’s a way to citizenship.
Germany and England are the problem, more than France. England isn’t England anymore and Germany has opened the floodgates. France is trying to fight back since Sarkozy’s time.
He's an 'elite' who rigged the elections... what else can we expect?
Maybe next year rather than suing he'll have 'the people' beheaded. That's the kind of thing self-appointed elites do ... always devolving toward monsterdom... Absolute power corrupts absolutely...
If Erdogan is the most insulted, we the people aren’t doing our jobs...
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