The Turkish satirists and comedians probably wish they were in the West where they can speak their mind.
Jan Boehmermann, host of the late-night "Neo Magazin Royale," is pictured during a TV show of Markus Lanz in Hamburg, Aug. 21, 2012. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed a complaint against the comedian, who recited a satirical and sexually crude poem about him on German television. (photo by REUTERS/Morris Mac Matzen)
Political humor no joke for Turkish satirists
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s wrath at the media recently reached Germany, bringing Berlin and Ankara to a diplomatic confrontation over German TV programs satirizing the Turkish leader. Amid tensions simmering since mid-March, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador in protest March 22 and sent Berlin a formal request for the prosecution of a comedian for insulting Erdogan in a poem recited on a satirical TV show.
Summary⎙ Print As the Turkish president's wrath reaches German satirists, their Turkish colleagues soldier on amid constant intimidation, prosecution and even physical attacks.
Author Fehim TaştekinPosted April 18, 2016
TranslatorSibel Utku Bila
With thin-skinned Turkey now raising a ruckus even across borders, what about the state of its satirists at home? As one would guess, they're not having a golden era.Turkey’s more prolific cartoonists, in particular, are under constant threat of trials and bullying, a climate they describe as worse than the military rule after the 1980 coup, often referenced as the lowest point of freedom and democracy in Turkey. In one cartoonist’s words, while previous leaders used the courts to discourage criticism, Erdogan acts with “exterminatory” motives.
Read more:
Political humor no joke for Turkish satirists - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
Jan Boehmermann, host of the late-night "Neo Magazin Royale," is pictured during a TV show of Markus Lanz in Hamburg, Aug. 21, 2012. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed a complaint against the comedian, who recited a satirical and sexually crude poem about him on German television. (photo by REUTERS/Morris Mac Matzen)
Political humor no joke for Turkish satirists
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s wrath at the media recently reached Germany, bringing Berlin and Ankara to a diplomatic confrontation over German TV programs satirizing the Turkish leader. Amid tensions simmering since mid-March, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador in protest March 22 and sent Berlin a formal request for the prosecution of a comedian for insulting Erdogan in a poem recited on a satirical TV show.
Summary⎙ Print As the Turkish president's wrath reaches German satirists, their Turkish colleagues soldier on amid constant intimidation, prosecution and even physical attacks.
Author Fehim TaştekinPosted April 18, 2016
TranslatorSibel Utku Bila
With thin-skinned Turkey now raising a ruckus even across borders, what about the state of its satirists at home? As one would guess, they're not having a golden era.Turkey’s more prolific cartoonists, in particular, are under constant threat of trials and bullying, a climate they describe as worse than the military rule after the 1980 coup, often referenced as the lowest point of freedom and democracy in Turkey. In one cartoonist’s words, while previous leaders used the courts to discourage criticism, Erdogan acts with “exterminatory” motives.
Read more:
Political humor no joke for Turkish satirists - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
