Prime minister sues Taraf’s Altan for denigrating remarks

Prime minister sues Taraf’s Altan for denigrating remarks

18 January 2011, Tuesday / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL







Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sued Ahmet Altan, editor-in-chief of the liberal Taraf daily, for remarks Altan made against him in one of his recent columns.

Erdoğan’s lawyers filed the lawsuit arguing that Altan directed harsh insults at the prime minister which exceeded the limits of criticism and freedom of expression. In his column published on Jan. 15, 2011, Altan accused the prime minister of becoming more Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)-like, denying the rights of Kurds, aspiring to demolish a statue in Kars and arguing with whoever warns him to return to his reformist, democratic and progressive identity. Erdoğan is demanding TL 50,000 in compensation for the denigrating remarks. The prime minister also filed a criminal complaint against Altan at the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Altan’s column headlined with “Erdoğan and hollow bullying.”
The lawsuit also read that Altan could have written a more effective column about the prime minister without using remarks that were perceived as “insulting” by readers. “The column would have served its purpose had the columnist written it without insulting remarks. But the purpose of the defendant is not to express his opinions. His purpose is to insult the prime minister in the harshest manner.”
Altan started his column with an anecdote about Temel, a famous figure in jokes centered on residents of the Black Sea region. Altan described how Temel had been driving in the wrong direction on a road but believed he was right and the hundreds of people who were driving towards him were wrong. In his column, Altan likened the prime minister to Temel and said Erdoğan believes he himself is doing the right thing while thousands of others are doing the wrong thing. The columnist also harshly criticized the prime minister for his remarks about a statue in Kars. Erdoğan had called the statue a “monstrosity” and said it would be demolished.
“Have you ever criticized a statue of Atatürk or a mosque over their esthetics and demanded their demolition? Are you courageous enough to speak against a statue of Atatürk on the grounds that it is not esthetic? Are all statues in your country very beautiful? Is only the statue of that sculptor who is not supported by anyone ugly? It is easy to criticize a weak man. But this is not the method of bullying. A courageous man also knows to criticize the strong,” the column read. Altan also accused the prime minister of secretly agreeing with the military on a law on the Council of State and thus betraying his nation. He also accused Erdoğan of working to “steal” votes from the MHP by alluring its voters.