Friday, April 15, 2016

Erdogan Satire Video: Merkel Clears Path for Prosecution

Comedian Jan Boehmermann

The German government will not block a prosecution of a satirist who mocked Turkish president Recep Erdoğan.

Angela Merkel said that despite divisions in the cabinet, the ruling coalition would pass the case to the law courts. Reports said that she herself had cast the deciding vote.

Comedian Jan Boehmermann sparked fury in Ankara by reading out a lewd poem about the Turkish president on German state TV channel ZDF.

Under German law, prosecution for the offence of insulting a head of state requires a green light from politicians. If the insult is deemed to be slanderous, the sentence must be between 3 months and five years in jail.

However Merkel added that she wants to change the law to prevent such charges being brought in future. 

Source: Euronews

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