PM Sues for Tick Caricature

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed for damages demanding 25,000 YTL in compensation from Leman magazine and cartoonist Mehmet Cagcag for a caricature in the publication that depicted him as a tick sucking the blood out of a layman. The first hearing of the case has been listed t be held at the Ankara Civil Court of First Instance on November 16.

Noting that this is the third attempt of Erdogan to sue humor, Leman's Editor Zafer Aknar told bianet that the magazine had used its right to criticism. "Humor is opposition in nature. Politicians are always criticized. There is no humor that is not opposition. The Prime Minister must learn that" Aknar said.

The magazine's July 6, 2006 cover showing a giant tick in resemblance to Erdogan sucking the blood out of a layman was titled"The Reco Kongo Tick is Making Turkey's Mother Cry". "Slurp, slurp, slurp" said a balloon out of the Reco Tick's mouth while its victim, walking with the tick on his back, was scene to be saying "apparently its even more dangerous to peel it off. Let it suck. Maybe when it's full, it will drop off on its own".

In their application to court Erdogan's lawyers said the caricature violated the personality rights and the dignity of the Prime Minister.

"What dignity is a Prime Minister who run a country whose money loses 30 percent value over night is talking about?" asked Aknar. "The socio-economic structure has collapsed. What dignity are we supposed to talk about?"

A journalist of 21 years Aknar agrees there is a possibility for Erdogan to win the case but adds, "The Prime Minister may use his powers and take this money from us but he's got no chance of winning the psychological war with us."

Erdogan had previously moved to sue cartoonist Musa Kart and the Penguin magazine for depicting him as an entangled cat and a cover titled "Tayyip's Universe" but the case was overturned by court.

Another case filed by Erdogan against "Gunluk Evrensel" newspaper cartoonist Sefer Selvi was heard and turned back by the Court of Appeals where a second trial led to no proceedings. (EO/TK/II/YE)