Germany grants Turkish call to allow comedian prosecution
BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel says the German government has granted a Turkish request to allow the possible prosecution of a German TV comedian who wrote a crude poem about Turkey's president.
Ankara has demanded to have comedian Jan Boehmermann prosecuted for insulting a foreign head of state, which Merkel's government had to grant permission for under German law. Friday's decision leaves it to prosecutors to decide whether they actually file any charges.
Boehmermann read the poem on ZDF television two weeks ago to illustrate what he said wouldn't be allowed in Germany, contrasting it with another channel's earlier satirical song that also poked fun at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and angered Turkey. ZDF withdrew the passage from its archives but argues that it didn't break the law.
