US-based Turkish journalist faces libel probe over book on Obama, Erdogan
The Washington correspondent of a major Turkish newspaper said on Sunday he was under investigation for libel and allegedly insulting President Tayyip Erdogan, in what may be Turkey's latest crackdown on media coverage critical of the authorities.
Tolga Tanis, a Washington-based reporter with the Hurriyet newspaper told Reuters he faces a probe from the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office after Erdogan's lawyer filed a petition accusing him of libel and attempting to undermine Erdogan's reputation in his book "POTUS and the Gentleman". Published in March, the book examines relations between Washington and Ankara with a focus on U.S. President Barack Obama - "POTUS" is an acrononym for "President of the United States" - and Erdogan, sometimes called "the Gentleman" by supporters. "I am critical of both Erdogan and Obama on several issues," Tanis told Reuters in an e-mail. "Though I don't think that Obama is considering suing me for this book."
