Was comparison of Turkish president to Gollum an illegal insult? Judge asks expert panel for opinion
Image of Gollum toy from PAISAN HOMHUAN / Shutterstock.com.
A lawyer for a Turkish doctor accused of illegally insulting the country’s president made no headway with a free speech argument.
So lawyer Hicran Danisman is pursuing another line of defense for her client, Bilgin Ciftci, the Associated Press reports. She is arguing that there was no insult when Cifti compared the president to the Lord of the Rings character Gollum—because the creature isn’t really a bad guy.
A Turkish judge has delayed Ciftci’s trial to allow a panel of court-appointed experts to consider the issue, report the Washington Post and the Guardian, citing reports by the Turkish news agency DHA and the Intanbul newspaper Today’s Zaman.
Cifti had posted pictures of Gollum next to pictures of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Insulting the head of state can bring jail time in Turkey. Gollum has slimy skin and a grotesque appearance, but he did help the hobbits seeking to destroy the One Ring, the Guardian points out.
Bu fotoğrafları paylaştığı için memuriyetten atılan Dr. Bilgin Çiftçi yalnız değildir! İlle bir işlem yapmak istiyorsanı…
Posted by Ateist Forum on Thursday, October 15, 2015
