Merkel's Agreement to Prosecute German Comedian at Erdogan's Request

With German Chancellor Angela Merkel's agreement to Turkish President Erdogan's request for the prosecution of a German comedian on Friday, April 16, the path was opened for this comedian to be tried for reading a poem mocking Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Reuters reported from Berlin on Friday that Angela Merkel, in an action likely to be very controversial, agreed to Mr. Erdogan's request, who objected to the content of the satire. Now, according to German laws, it is up to the courts of this country to decide on the guilt or innocence of this German television comedian. Jan Böhmermann, the German comedian, read a poem mocking Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, and his recent policies on the state broadcaster ZDF as part of a late-night program in late March. In this television clip, Mr. Böhmermann, sitting in front of the Turkish flag and under a framed photo of Erdogan, accuses the Turkish President of 'watching child pornography, suppressing minorities, kicking Kurds, and slapping Christians.' Following the broadcast of this clip, news emerged last week in Turkish and German media that the Turkish government had officially protested this poem and requested the German government to prosecute the comedian. According to a 'nameless' and less-used clause in German criminal law, prosecution for insulting organizations or representatives of foreign countries is only possible if it has the government's approval. On Friday, Ms. Merkel, while agreeing to the prosecution of this comedian, emphasized that this clause of German criminal law would be completely abolished by 2018. She also noted that the decision had caused disagreements between her office and the foreign, domestic, and justice ministries. Following the news of Erdogan's request for the prosecution of a comedian, many individuals and human rights organizations protested this request, reminding of the Turkish government's human rights record and its treatment of journalists. In many annual reports on the status of journalists worldwide, Turkey, alongside Iran and China, has had the highest number of imprisoned journalists and has always been considered one of the largest prisons in the world for the press. Just before this current controversy, Erdogan's office had also requested the removal of a satirical song from a comedy show on German television, an action that only increased the popularity of this song, especially on social media, and even attracted viewers outside Germany.