British economist investigated after listing Erdoğan as a ‘sociopathetic leader’
The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation on British economist Timothy Garton Ash after he said "we live in an era of sociopathic leaders," listing Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Speaking at a finance meeting in Bodrum, Ash jokingly asked for the cameras to be cut after the statement, in reference to limited freedom of speech in Turkey. He also joked that his words might appear as a headline in the Daily Sabah newspaper.
The prosecutor’s office launched the investigation on Ash’s statement on grounds of insulting the President pursuant to Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code. The prosecutor’s statement did not mention which part of what Ash said specifically constituted a crime, just that it occurred at the meeting.
Insulting the President carries a prison sentence between one and four years. If the crime is deemed to have been committed publicly, the penalty can be increased. The European Court on Human Rights (ECtHR) has criticized Article 299 on the grounds that it is incompatible with freedom of expression.
This investigation offers a new dynamic from previous discussions on the law as Ash’s words were not chanted at a political rally or written in a newspaper, but instead at an international finance meeting attended by business people. The presentation was titled "Trading in markets during periods of geopolitical uncertainty." His words, followed by a joke, had been voiced by an economic analyst, not an activist or politician.
Ash has been monitoring Turkey’s economy for about 25 years and serves as a senior country strategist for emerging markets in the BlueBay Fixed Income team within RBC Global Asset Management.
In statements and reports Ash praised the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) economic reforms during the early period, but criticized their later policies. In more recent months, he has also argued that Minister of Finance Mehmet Şimşek’s economic policies and the Central Bank’s management moved Turkey away from a systemic crisis. He called the resilience of the lira and the rebuilding of reserves significant achievements.
Ash said that tighter monetary policy is needed to combat inflation and that foreign investors are still cautious.
Ash’s comments during the meeting did not consist solely of criticisms, but this did not stop an investigation from being opened. Whether or not that investigation will pass to the prosecution phase is determined by the Ministry of Justice.
(AEK/İK)