Two Turkish Cartoonists Sentenced To Jail For Insulting Erdogan; Sentences Reduced, Then Commuted

This looks like the best report I can find in English on the outcome of a recent case involving the cartoonists Bahadir Baruter and Azer Aydogan "insulting" that country's president, Recep Erdogan. Those comics makers made a cover for the satirical magazine Penguen in 2014 that included a hand gesture that a Turkish citizen accused of being an indication that the then just-elected Erdogan was homosexual. Erdogan's lawyer joined the case soon after, and help a prosecutor put together what have become the saddest standard story in that country's politics: the "insult to a public official" indictment.

The trial began in Istanbul on March 19. They were sentenced to 14 months in prison on March 24. This was then decreased to 11 months and 20 days because of good behavior, and was finally converted to a fine at approximately $2700 USD. A standard sentence is three months in jail for insult, a year for insulting a public official, and one-sixth more to either standard if the insult is done publicly.

Baruter now faces a second trial for potentially insulting the prosecutor when asserting that the interpretation of the hand gesture may have been related to the prosecutor's subconscious.

A significant number of journalists have been accused, indicted and even convicted of such laws, which free-speech proponents see as being a deterrence against the criticism of sitting officials.

You can see a scan of the offending cover image, hand gesture and all, here.
 
posted 12:55 am PST | Permalink
 

---

 
Daily Blog Archives
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
 
Full Archives