Erdoğan Files Criminal Complaint Against Le Point Journalists

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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed a criminal complaint against two journalists from France-based Le Point magazine, which called him "the Eradicator" in its last issue.

Attorney Hüseyin Aydın submitted the petition of complaint against Etienne Gernelle, the publishing director, and Romain Gubert, a columnist for "insulting Erdoğan in French."

An article in the issue of the magazine published on October 24 included a photo of Erdoğan and "insulted" him, according to the 11-page petition submitted to Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

The petition alleged that Gubert and Gernelle committed the offense of "insulting the President" upon Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code.

Calling Erdoğan "the Eradicator," Le Point said on its cover page, "Ethnic cleansing is Erdoğan's method. Will we let him slaughter the Kurds and threaten Europe?"

The issue came after Turkey launched a military operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG).

Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said in response to the magazine that "France colonized Algeria, Gabon, Mauritania, Senegal, Gine, Congo, Tunisia, Komor Islands, Madagascar, Cibuti, Mali, Benin, Char and Morocco, slaughtered thousands of people, did slave trade and a French magazine cast aspersions on Turkey..."

The magazine previously called Erdoğan a "dictator." (TP/VK)