German media company sued for 'defaming' Turkish President

Turkish President Erdogan has officially started legal proceedings to stop the head of Germany's leading media outlet from supporting defamation of his image.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: THX/TTXVN

Lawyer Ralf Hoecker - representative of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Germany - said on May 9 that Mr. Erdogan has officially started legal proceedings to prevent the head of Germany's leading media company Axel Springer from continuing to support the TV star who made offensive statements about him.

Earlier, in a widely publicized letter, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Doepfner voiced support for comedian Jan Boehmermann, who made many sarcastic and insulting remarks about President Erdogan in a satirical poem broadcast on television in late March.

The letter claimed that the satirical poem worked, with Mr Doepfner himself laughing "over and over" while watching the show. Mr Hoecker said he had filed a petition with a Cologne court seeking an injunction to prevent Axel Springer from continuing to support the comedian.

On the same day, the law firm's website also posted an announcement that the court had approved a similar injunction against German director and producer Uwe Boll, who had publicly defended Boehmermann on the internet.

Boehmermann, host of the late-night show "Neo Magazin Royale" on ZDF television, read satirical poetry in a program broadcast on the evening of March 31, 2016, accusing President Tayyip Erdogan of oppressing ethnic minorities and unfairly treating Kurds and Christians.

The poem has led to new political tensions and sparked debate over freedom of speech. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has authorized a criminal investigation into Boehmermann after Turkey requested his prosecution.

Prosecutors are now investigating whether Boehmermann committed the crime of insulting foreign bodies and representatives after they received more than 20 complaints about Boehmermann's behavior.

According to News