The court rejected Erdogan's claim against the head of Axel Springer about the offensive poem

In Germany, a court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against the head of the Axel Springer publishing house, Matthias Depfner, who quoted part of an offensive poem by comedian Jan Bemermann about the Turkish leader.

The court decided that the requirement to ban Depfner from using an offensive epithet from a poem about Erdogan violates his right to freedom of expression, Reuters reports.

If the court in Cologne had agreed to issue an injunction, Depfner would have been prohibited from using the obscene word to describe Erdogan, which was first used by Bemermann and then repeated by the head Axel Springer.

Reuters

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed a lawsuit against the head of Axel Springer, Matthias Depfner, after he expressed his support for comedian Jan Bemermann in an open letter, who faces criminal prosecution for an offensive poem about Erdogan. In the letter, Depfner quoted a part of the text that contained accusations of bestiality.
• The scandal around Bemermann began after the comedian read an insulting poem about Erdogan on his show. The Turkish President took advantage of the law of Germany, which allows for criminal prosecution for insulting foreign heads of state and officials. The German authorities agreed to open an investigation; while Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to repeal the law in the future.