The satirical poem about Erdogan read by Jan Boehmermann was deleted from the ZDF website after broadcast
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the prosecution of
a German comedian who read out a satirical poem on television mocking
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can go ahead, DPA reports.
In the poem comic Jan Boehmermann accuses Erdogan of
watching child pornography and performing sex acts with animals, and
mocks him for suing critics in Turkey. Erdogan has in turn launched a
lawsuit against Boehmermann.
Turkish prosecutors have opened cases against thousands of people accused of insulting President Erdogan
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Merkel said the legislation would be reviewed, referring to
it as "expendable". She said the decision to approve the prosecution was
based on "conviction of the strength of the rule of law".
The incident has provoked fierce debate about the limits of
free speech in Germany, with many criticising Merkel's government for
refusing to back Boehmermann as it engages in delicate negotiations with
Turkey to reduce the number of refugees travelling to the EU.
Boehmermann read out the poem after the German ambassador in
Ankara was summoned by Turkish officials when a satirical song was
broadcast on German television in March.
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