Turkish consulate in Rotterdam urges Dutch Turks to report Erdogan insults

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An elderly Turkish woman was sentenced to almost a year in prison for carrying a banner criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, local media reported.

Turkish Court Sentences Woman to 11 Months in Jail for Criticizing Erdogan
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160518/1039785415/turkey-sentences-woman-criticizing-erdogan.html

According to the Hurriyet newspaper’s Tuesday report, the woman, 62, carried a placard saying "We are turning our backs on indecent Erdogan" at a protest in 2015.

A court in the town of Didim sentenced the woman to a prison term of 11 months and 20 days, saying that the banner could hurt the president’s dignity, the newspaper reported.

Turkey's crackdown on journalists and restrictions on freedom of speech has been condemned by the international community, including the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, Russia and the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) organization.

The Turkish laws making it illegal to insult Turkey, the Turkish nation, or Turkish government institutions. According to media reports
more than 1,500 people in Turkey are being investigated for insulting the president.

A Hamburg court ruled on Tuesday that the most part of a satirical poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was inadmissible, local media reported.

German Court Rules Most Part of Satirical Poem About Erdogan Inadmissible
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160517/1039780741/german-court-erdogan-poem-inadmissible.html

In late March, German TV host Jan Bohmermann read the poem containing rude statements regarding Erdogan's sexual orientation, crimes against national minorities and opposition. The Turkish government responded with a protest, demanding to launch a criminal probe into the incident.

According to the Spiegel Online magazine, the court issued a preliminary injunction banning re-publication of the poem's parts, particularly regarding the sexual topic, as they amounted to abuse.

Those verses that referred to the president's policy on the freedom of press and freedom of assembly were recognized as admissible political satire.

Erdogan's lawyer said that he was satisfied with the court 's ruling.

Another criminal case on insulting a foreign state leader has been opened in the German city of Mainz after the Turkish leader filed a lawsuit against Bohmermann with the local prosecutor in April.

 

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From: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/06/top-dutch-choreographer-refuses-turkish-honour-in-protest-at-journalist-jailings/

Top Dutch choreographer refuses Turkish prize in protest at journalist jailings

June 9, 2016

Celebrated Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen has refused an honorary award from the Turkish state in protest at the jailing of journalists, reports NOS.

Van Manen was reportedly to be given a Turkish ‘choreographer of the century’ prize but told NPO Radio 1 that he was refusing it ‘for the dead simple reason that newspapers are being muzzled and journalists who are just doing their jobs end up in prison’.

He said he also disapproved of the arrest of Dutch columnist Ebru Umar in Turkey in April, for allegedly insulting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

But Van Manen said he was not trying to give off any signal with the refusal, or looking for attention – especially any possible victimization of his dance group or the prize’s management.

The 83-year-old is a leading Dutch choreographer, recognized internationally. He has worked for 60 years at the Nederlands Dans Theater and Dutch National Ballet, and in 2007 was awarded the Dutch ‘order of the lion’ honor.

Amnesty International claims ‘respect for freedom of expression deteriorated’ in Turkey from 2015/2016. Its last annual report says: ‘Countless unfair criminal prosecutions, including under criminal defamation and anti-terrorism laws, targeted political activists, journalists and others critical of public officials or government policy. Ordinary citizens were frequently brought before the courts for social media posts.’

Last month Can Dündar, editor-in-chief of opposition daily paper Cumhuriyet, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison for publishing secret state documents. The paper’s Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül was sentenced to five years.

In April, a Dutch-Turkish journalist Ebru Umar was placed on ‘land arrest’ – forbidden to leave Turkey – after criticizing Erdogan on Twitter. She was allowed to leave in early May.

Last month Erik-Jan Zürcher, a professor of Turkish language and culture at Leiden University, gave back a Turkish gold Medal of High Distinction ‘in protest at the dictatorial mismanagement of Edroğan in Turkey’, writing in NRC that in his opinion the country can no longer be a member of Europe.