German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cleared the way for the prosecution of German comedian Jan Bohmermann, whose poem mocking Turkey’s president has become the centerpiece of a clash between Germany’s free-speech traditions and the government’s efforts to safeguard its important relations with Turkey.
In a press conference Friday, Merkel emphasized that it will now be up to German courts to decide whether Bohmermann is guilty of insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“In a country under the rule of law it is not up to the government to decide,” Merkel said. “Prosecutors and courts should weight personal rights against the freedom of press and art.”
Although Bohmermann could face several years in jail if convicted, lawyers familiar with similar cases expect that the comedian would have to pay a fine, if at all.
The stakes are potentially higher for Merkel.
Criticism of her reaction to the incident had mounted ahead of the announcement. Opponents have said the chancellor made a glaring misstep earlier by calling the poem “deliberately offending” — a comment interpreted by some as support for Erdogan who has been accused of cracking down on press freedom in Turkey.
Not allowing the charges to proceed could have jeopardized a refugee deal with Turkey, which was recently negotiated. Turkish officials had publicly pressured Merkel to allow the charges. Earlier this week, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said that the poem was an insult against all Turks.
“That is why the Republic of Turkey demands that this impertinent man is immediately punished for insulting a president, within the scope of German law,” Kurtulmus said. He went on to call the poem a “serious crime against humanity” that had “crossed all lines of indecency.”
In her statement Friday, Merkel tried to appease critics by announcing that she would seek to repeal the controversial German law against insulting heads of state.
Merkel was forced to decide on the matter after the Turkish president had officially filed charges against Bohmermann at the beginning of this week.
The mock poem in question aired during a segment of ZDF Television’s Neo Royal show last week. Some of the lines included accusations of bestiality and other unsavory things.
