Erdoğan Lodging Appeal Against Axel Springer CEO Rejected

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The German court has also rejected President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s appeal against the Chief Executive Officer of German media group Axel Springer supporting Comedian Jan Böhmermann who had written an insulting poem about President Erdoğan.

Mathias Döpfner, Chief Executive Officer of one of Germany’s biggest media groups, Axel Springer, had has shown support for comedian Jan Böhmermann against whom President Erdoğan had filed a lawsuit for his poem.

Thereupon Erdoğan had made an application to the court, requesting to issue an interlocutory injunction on Döpfner but the court had rejected the request.

What had happened?

After Ambassador of Germany being summoned to Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to the song “Erdowie, Erdowo, Erdowahn” satirizing Erdoğan broadcasted on the TV Programme Extra 3 on the German Channel NDR, also satirist Jan Böhmermann had presented a racist and sexist poem addressed to Erdoğan on his satire show on the German public TV ZDF.

The poem which included sexist and racist expressions had become an issue between the two countries and was banned from broadcast. Also investigation was launched into Jan Böhmerman on charges of “insulting representatives or organs of foreign states” demanding three years of imprisonment.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had personally filed a complaint against Jan Böhmermann who has presented his satirizing poem against Erdoğan including racist and sexist expressions on air on the German public-service TV Channel ZDF.  

President Erdoğan had attempted to sue Mathias Döpfner, the manager of Axel Springer which is one of the biggest media groups, for supporting Böhmermann but it was turned down. (YY/DG)