{"id":19889,"date":"2016-04-13T11:56:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-13T16:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=19889"},"modified":"2016-04-13T11:57:07","modified_gmt":"2016-04-13T16:57:07","slug":"germany-could-charge-comic-for-insulting-turkeys-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=19889","title":{"rendered":"Germany Could Charge Comic for Insulting Turkey\u2019s President"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Germany Could Charge Comic for Insulting Turkey\u2019s President<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

AMERICANS WONDERING WHAT\u00a0life might be like in the near future \u2014 after a President Donald Trump acts on\u00a0his promise<\/a>\u00a0to \u201copen up our libels laws,\u201d so that politicians with easily bruised egos can sue reporters or commentators for hurting their feelings \u2014 should pay attention to what is happening this week in Germany.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because German Chancellor Angela Merkel\u00a0said on Tuesday<\/a>\u00a0that her government, while being fully committed to the principle of free speech, is considering a request from Turkey to file criminal charges against the host of a late-night television show on the state broadcaster, ZDF. His alleged crime? Joking about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s thin skin by reading examples of actual slanderous statements about him, in the form of a poem.<\/p>\n