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[hobblygobbly]

A Turkish court has asked experts to assess the character Gollum from The Lord of the Rings in the case of a man on trial for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish media report.

Bilgin Ciftci is accused of insulting the president for sharing images comparing Mr Erdogan and Gollum. The experts will reportedly decide whether or not this was an insult. It is not known precisely what criteria the experts will use to arrive at their decision.

The character of Gollum appears in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien and the film versions directed by Peter Jackson. He was first introduced in the Hobbit as "a small, slimy creature". In the Lord of the Rings his longing for the ring distorted his body and mind.

The experts will be a group composed of two academics, two behavioural scientists or psychologists and an expert on cinema and television productions, the Today's Zaman newspaper reports.

The judge took the decision after admitting he had not seen the whole of the Lord of the Rings series in which Gollum features. The images shared by Mr Ciftci showed Mr Erdogan and Gollum in similar poses eating, expressing surprise and amazement.

The case has now been adjourned until February.

Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey, punishable by prison. Turkey's record on freedom of speech and treatment of journalists has come in for criticism in recent years, with Mr Erdogan's administration seen as being increasingly intolerant of criticism. Mr Erdogan's legal team has often backed cases brought by lawyers and private individuals against people who have allegedly insulted him.

Turkey's hard line on insults:

• Between August 2014 and March 2015, 236 people investigated for "insulting the head of state"; 105 indicted; eight formally arrested
• Between July and December 2014, Turkey filed 477 requests to Twitter for removal of content, over five times more than any other country and an increase of 156% on the first half of the year
• Reporters Without Borders places Turkey 149th of 180 countries in the press freedom index
• During Mr Erdogan's time in office (Prime Minister 2003-14, President from 2014), 63 journalists have been sentenced to a total of 32 years in prison, with collective fines of $128,000
• Article 299 of the Turkish penal code states that anybody who insults the president of the republic can face a prison term of up to four years. This sentence can be increased by a sixth if committed publicly; and a third if committed by press or media

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34979249

Lock if old.

 

[Jumeira]

Oh Turkey, this isnt the way :/

 

[KPJZKC]

Fuck Gollum Erdogan.

 

[Gr1mLock]

w..what?

 

[DragonSworne]

Imagine a law like that in the United States. The whole country would be in jail sooner or later.

 

[Dot Matrix]

Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey, punishable by prison.

I guess that's why the Turkish version of 'Have I Got News For You' never got further than the pilot episode.

 

[timetokill]

Wow, what a terrible, backwards, absurd law.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

How do you run a political campaign in a democracy with that law in place? Surely the party in power could just drag any critics to...oh.

And the judge should totally recuse himself for being a LOTR noob.

 

[Chuckie]

So why was he compared to Gollum? Does he have the same Smeagol/Gollum kind of personality?

I have seen politicians like that, who speak nicely towards international press for instance, but totally different to crowds of supporters.

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

Imagine a law like that in the United States. The whole country would be in jail sooner or later.

Yeah Texas would be like a penal colony.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Sultan Erdogan.

 

[Branduil]

Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey, punishable by prison.

I mean, I don't want to Godwin this thread, but this literally sounds like a law a certain someone would make.

 

[Dai Kaiju]

Que?

 

[Monocle]

So basically he's doomed.

And this is one of the more progressive countries in the region?

Stahp trying to impose your filthy Western values on other countries!

 

[Kenshin001]

You decide.

 

[Klyka]

Imagine a law like that in the United States. The whole country would be in jail sooner or later.

Thanks, Obama

 

[funkypie]

And people keep saying how wonderful turkey is. erdogan Has turned turkey into shit. I was going to do a detail thread on erdogab, he has been getting away with shit for to long.

 

[leatherhat]

A lesson to those who think Turkey is a progressive country in the Middle East.

Gollum is more handsome btw.

 

[Dennis]

Thanks, Sultan Obama Erdogan

 

[lenos16]

A lesson to those who think Turkey is a progressive country in the Middle East.

Gollum is more handsome btw.

They are progressive, compared relatively to their neighbors. This doesn't mean jack when you look at it as a whole. Same goes for Malaysia, where islamic laws top basic human rights when they are in conflict.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

And they want to join the EU...

 

[jorma]

And this is one of the more progressive countries in the region?

Well, at least they don't have the capital punishment which makes them a more progressive country than.. a lot of other countries that does.

 

[Qurupeke]

lol I read the title expecting Gollum to be a word I don't know for something serious. And I get Smeagol...

 

[Any Questions]

You decide.

Yes

 

[HK-47]

You decide.

Wow, playing the Turkish president should probably put Andy Serkis in the Oscar running.

 

[Tertullian]

You decide.

Not an insult. Very flattering.

 

[Yrael]

You decide.

He's got nothing on the Australian ex-PM.

 

[Nirolak]

"President."

 

[jett]

Shit like this is why you'll never be part of the European Union, Turkey.

 

[Doomshroom]

Imagine a law like that in the United States. The whole country would be in jail sooner or later.

It already is because of minor drug offences.

 

[Guy.brush]

Can those experts also make a study if his pompous "presidential" palace is an insult to the people?

 

[ColdPizza]

Can those experts also make a study if his pompous "presidential" palace is an insult to the people?

Holy crap (at the picture)

 

[Visceir]

That article made me literally laugh out loud. When internet memes are being taken overly seriously.

This is what would happen if those 40% U.S. millenials got what they wanted.

 

[Guy.brush]

Holy crap (at the picture)

The palace is 20x as big as Elysee. 1000 rooms. Built in a nature reserve space, that he declared non-nature reserve to have it built.

 

[E-phonk]

Streisand effect? Streisand effect.

 

[Tugatrix]

Not including Turkey in the EU is pushing Turkey to the arms of more conservative politicians like Erdogan

 

[Yagharek]

Streisand effect? Streisand effect.

Precisely.

 

[daniels]

The palace is 20x as big as Elysee. 1000 rooms. Built in a nature reserve space, that he declared non-nature reserve to have it built.

Midlife crisis of a comic book villain that pretends to be a president.

 

[ultratruman]

Erdogan is a walking insult to the Turkish people.

 

[jstripes]

Bilgin Ciftci is accused of insulting the president for sharing images comparing Mr Erdogan and Gollum. The experts will reportedly decide whether or not this was an insult.

I don't know where to begin.

 

[Makonero]

Midlife crisis of a comic book villain that pretends to be a president.

Turkish Lex Luthor?

Hide your cakes, Turkey!

 

[Napalm_Frank]

Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey, punishable by prison.

Potential EU member, folks.

 

[samn]

and this is our friend and ally

 

[leatherhat]

Not including Turkey in the EU is pushing Turkey to the arms of more conservative politicians like Erdogan

Amazing that some people will blame this on Europeans.

 

[Misha]

"President."

What's dic-taters, precious?

 

[Apathy]

Between the Saudis and Turkey, the US really knows how to pick allies.

 

[nynt9]

Amazing that some people will blame this on Europeans.

This isn't expressly the fault of Europeans, but France and Greece iirc kept vetoing Turkey's entry to the EU when there was a big push in Turkey to join the EU. Then Erdogan came to power and that push gradually stopped happening. Some reasons to deny Turkey were legitimate, others less so, and no one knows what would have happened if Turkey joined the EU, but nowadays joining the EU is a pipe dream for Turkey.

Erdogan is a walking insult to the Turkish people.

Part of me agrees with this, part of me thinks they (we) deserve him. Depends on which half of the country you're looking at. He's terrible regardless, but some people legitimately want his terrible reign because religion, and they don't really care about anything else he does because he's "dear leader Erdogan, savior of the muslims", so there's nothing I can say.

 

[Pterion]

Streisand effect? Streisand effect.

Came here for this.

 

[mclem]

"What's it got in its nasty little pocketses, eh, my precious? Is it a bung? For me?"

 

[mclem]

I mean, I don't want to Godwin this thread, but this literally sounds like a law a certain someone would make.

Actually, it sounds more Kim Jong Un than it does Adolf.