Turkish journalist gets suspended sentence over cartoon tweet
A columnist for a leading Turkish opposition daily has been handed down a suspended sentence of nine months on charges of “inciting hatred and animosity among the public” for posting a cartoon on Twitter, Turkish Minute reported.
Cumhuriyet journalist Enver Aysever had tweeted a cartoon that showed a janitor, dressed in white overalls, spraying disinfectant into the cracked-open head of a heavily bearded man who appeared to represent conservative Muslims in Turkey.
“I was sentenced to nine months in prison on charges of ‘inciting hatred and animosity among the public’ by posting a cartoon. The decision is deplorable in terms of freedom of speech, rule of law and democracy,” Aysever tweeted.