Caricaturists sentenced in Turkey
A Turkish court has fined two cartoonists from the satirical magazine Penguen (Penguin) for insulting President Erdogan. The judiciary has recently been cracking down on alleged insults against Erdogan.
Bahadir Baruter and Özer Aydogan are said to have insulted the head of state with their drawing for the cover of the magazine for the August 21 issue last year, as the newspaper Hürriyet reported on Wednesday. The court sentenced the two illustrators to suspended sentences, but commuted them to fines. The Penguen cover shows a disgruntled Erdogan being welcomed by officials in the presidential office after his election as president. Erdogan complains about the unceremonious reception and asks whether "at least one journalist could be slaughtered" to celebrate the occasion. The judges recognized the insult in the hand gesture of one of the officials drawn. He forms a circle with his thumb and index finger, which is considered a sign for homosexuals in Turkey.
Additional proceedings against Baruter
In addition to the conviction for the two cartoonists, the court announced an additional criminal charge against the cartoonist Baruter. In his defense, the latter had said that the public prosecutor had probably been guided by his own subconscious in his interpretation of the officer's hand sign in the drawing. Baruter is now facing new proceedings for allegedly insulting the public prosecutor. Erdogan had already sued Penguen over a caricature during his time as prime minister, but failed. Since he took office as president last August, the judiciary has initiated more than 80 criminal proceedings for allegedly insulting the president. This was the result of a count by the Istanbul Bar Association. In some cases, the proceedings are based on complaints from Erdogan's lawyers. Critics accuse the president of high-handedness and intolerance. (SDA)
