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Merkel OKs Turkish Request to Prosecute Comedian

After he insulted the Turkish president.

Germany has granted a request from Turkey that will allow a German comedian to be prosecuted for writing a song that made fun of Turkey's president. The song described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "stupid, cowardly, and uptight" and included sexual references about him. Turkey asked last week that Jan Boehmermann be charged for insulting a foreign head of state in accordance with Germany law, but Chancellor Angela Merkel must agree to allow it before prosecutors can make a decision about whether charges are warranted. Merkel granted the persmission but also described the law, which criminalizes such insults, as "dispensable" and said should planned to repeal it. When she announced the decision in Berlin, Merkel also noted that she was greatly concerned about media freedom, especially where it concerns journalists in Turkey.