German prosecutors drop probe of comedian over Erdogan poem
BERLIN — German prosecutors on Tuesday dropped an investigation of a TV comic who wrote a crude poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, citing insufficient evidence that he committed any crime.
Chancellor Angela Merkel in April granted a Turkish request to allow the possible prosecution of Jan Boehmermann for insulting a foreign head of state. German law required the government to give permission before prosecutors could consider whether to press charges.
Boehmermann had read the poem on ZDF television, to illustrate something he said wouldn’t be allowed in Germany. He contrasted it with another channel’s earlier satirical song that also poked fun at Erdogan and angered Turkey but was considered acceptable in Germany.
Boehmermann’s ditty started by describing the Turkish leader as “stupid, cowardly and uptight” before descending into crude sexual references. ZDF withdrew the passage with the poem from its archives but argued that it didn’t break the law.