Two Turkish cartoonists charged with insulting President

From Cartoonists Rights Network International:

Cartoonists Bahadir Baruter and Ozer Aydogan, from the Turkish satirical magazine Penguen, appeared in court last week charged with ?insulting? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The indictment relates to a cartoon placed on the front cover of the magazine last August, depicting the President meeting two officials outside his newly completed presidential palace.

The cartoonists explained in court that the cartoon was making a comment on the victimization of journalists, the President replying to the greeting within the cartoon with ?What a bland celebration. We could have at least sacrificed a journalist.? The prosecutor alleged that the cartoon was insulting in that one of the men made a certain gesture implying Erdogan was gay, Baruter explaining that that was not the intention, stressing too the problematic nature of the fact that the law suit is predicated on the idea that being homosexual is insulting. Aydogan stated that the cartoon was simply a comment on the lack of press freedom in Turkey.

The cartoonists now await the verdict to be given at the next hearing, on a date yet to be decided

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