Turkey: Fine for Upsetting Prime Minister

[milmor_1]

This thread just has to go in the P/Cp forum, imagine how rich our politicians would be if every time they were criticised they got paid.

By REUTERS

An Ankara court fined an elderly man 10,000 lira ($6,700) for criticizing Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in a visitors’ book at the onetime home of Ataturk, who founded the Turkish Republic in 1923.

The man, Fethi Dorduncu, in May visited the house in Thessaloniki, Greece, where Ataturk was born, and wrote in the visitors’ book that Mr. Erdogan, above, was a “traitor” bent on destroying Ataturk’s secular republic and building an Islamic state.

Mr. Erdogan ripped the page from the book in anger when he later visited the house. The court ordered Mr. Dorduncu, who is in his 80’s, to pay damages for the pain and anguish he caused Mr. Erdogan, the Anatolian news agency said.

Mr. Erdogan, who denies he has an Islamist agenda, has filed a number of lawsuits against his critics, including journalists and cartoonists. Last week, a British artist was detained after painting a picture of Mr. Erdogan as a dog.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/wo...gewanted=print

[Woodmonkey]

He's certainly touchy about any criticism or disagreement.

I'm sure glad that our politicians don't have this license to squelch freedom of speech.

[oderman]

I believe the presentation of this news is just another double standard application reflecting the prejudice againts Turkish people. The total story is not described in detail so that a complete understanding of the issue can not be achieved. But events are briefed with carefully selected words that it looks as if that's an excessive reaction of the Turkish Prime minister to an idividual's clean criticism or freedom of speech.

Actually Mr. Fethi Dorduncu wrote his so called criticism in such a way that if somebody called me or written that to me I sure would have sued him, too. His selection of words and descriptions goes far beyond criticism. He clearly insults, defames his Prime Minister on a carefully planned place and time, this is also a political ambush. (Ataturk has a country-wide unshakeable reputation. He is the model for politicians.)

Slandering, aspersion is not welcome in our culture. Accusing his prime minister as a traitor, he blames Mr. Erdogan commiting a crime that being a prime minister can not impede juridical investigation. He has to prove the treachery otherwise as for any individual in Turkiye aspersion is a means for legal punishment.

You may not like your opponent, you may disagree with all the attitudes of him, but this does not give you the right to insult, defame nor to slander him under the protection of the flexible term <the fredom of speech>. Critisim must be with proof, with logic, and as much as possible with objective data.

On the other hand, probably other presidents of the world may be more tolerant to aspersion, insults, political snares set for ... That's your culture and country, your choice.

The freedom of speech is another weapon used against Turks. When somebody salivates his venom and prejudice about Turks, western media gives him the right of the freedom of speech with full credit. But when somebody either be a Turkish origin or not, attempt to say a good word for Turkish people he is not so welcome and counter ideas flourish here and there to suppress him. I have been witnessing such attitude for years. Of course there are countable exceptions that respect Turkish people's right to speak freely, too.

Besides all, I admit that our country has a developing democracy and many previous events were against freedom of speech and that caused our bad reputaion on the issue. Our parliament and senators are working on that hard, our wish to be a member of EU is a motivating factor to clear any small barrier blocking the freedom of speech.

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by Woodmonkey

He's certainly touchy about any criticism or disagreement.

I'm sure glad that our politicians don't have this license to squelch freedom of speech.

Even politicians in this country can join the long line of people suing others, though - we've become such a litigious nation that nobody is safe from being sued for making comments or just about anything else. To have put it in writing was a bit unnecessary at least - and it did go to a trial.

The comment seems to have been very inflammatory.

Originally Posted by oderman

His selection of words and descriptions goes far beyond criticism. He clearly insults, defames his Prime Minister on a carefully planned place and time, this is also a political ambush.

We would not allow such a thing to be written about another member here on this site. I believe Mr. Erdogan had good reason to take this to court.

[milmor_1]

Thanks for offering the other side of the coin Oscar, knowing the Turkish people as I do, I felt that there would be a reason for such a reaction.

I can vouch for the hospitality of the Turkish people, I have relations who have purchased apartments in Turkey and I myself am considering do so as well in the near future.