Cartoon trouble in Turkey

Posted by Dominique Lewis Tuohy on April 5, 2006 at 10:47 AM

A Turkish cartoon row that began with the publication of a caricature, authored by cartoonist Musa Kart, depicting the country's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan "as a cat entangled in a ball of wool" was reignited yesterday. Musa Kart was found guilty, a number of months ago, of insulting the Turkish premier and was ordered to pay a fine of approximately $3,700. In solidarity with Musa Kart's predicament the Turkish magazine Penguen then published a set of cartoons showing Erdogan's head atop the bodies of a number of animals.

A complaint was lodged against these cartoons by the Prime Minister in February, and was dismissed. The court ruling in question included the following statement: "The owners of political power should be open and tolerant to all kinds of criticisms." Yesterday a lawyer representing Erdogan lodged an appeal against the February ruling that dismissed his complaint against the publication of these cartoons.

Erdogan has categorically denounced he cartoons, using the following words: "Freedom of thought freedom of the press never amount to freedom of insult; they should not ... If you caricature the prime minister of this country, or anyone else, as an animal, this can never be called freedom."

It remains to be seen what result will come from Mr. Erdogan's latest court appeal.

Source: adnkronosinternational (through the Ifra Executive News Service)

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