CHP Leader Kılıçdaroğlu Faces Prosecution Over ‘Kingdom of Tayyips’ Caricature

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An investigation has been launched against main opposition party Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu due to “Kingdom of Tayyips” caricature that Kılıçdaroğlu shared on his Twitter account.

Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office declared that the investigation has been launched on charge of “insulting the president”.

What happened?

Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the banner carried during the graduation ceremony at Middle East Technical University (METU) on July 6 and charged the students who carried the banner with "insulting the president."

On the banner, there was a caricature which was originally published on the Penguen humor magazine in 2005. Under the heading of the "Kingdom of Tayyips", the caricature depicts the President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the form of an elephant, a cow, camel, frog, snake, duck, giraffe and monkey.

Erdoğan had filed a claim for immaterial compensation of 40 thousand YTL (New Turkish Lira). However, the case was rejected by the 1st Civil Court of First Instance on the ground that the caricature in question is within the scope of "freedom of expression". (AS/TK)