Cartoonist Musa Kart Acquitted In Case Filed By Erdoğan

Cumhuriyet daily Cartoonist Musa Kart has been cleared of charges that he had insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan -- who was prime minister when Kart drew a picture of him during an infamous corruption investigation last year.

In Thursday's hearing of the trial against Kart, which was handled by the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, the artist said in his defense: “Yes, I drew it [the cartoon] but I did not mean to insult. I just wanted to show the facts. Indeed, I think that we are inside a cartoon right now. Because I am in the suspect's seat while charges were dropped against all the suspects [involved in two major graft scandals]. I need to say that this is funny.”

The cartoonist added that it was impossible for writers and cartoonists to remain silent in the face of the graft scandals, which went public on Dec. 17 and Dec. 25.

The court acquitted Kart.

President Erdoğan had filed a criminal complaint against Kart in February, when he was still prime minister, claiming that the artist had committed the crime of “insulting through publication and slander” via a cartoon. Kart had drawn a hologram of Erdoğan serving as a watchman in a robbery. Following Erdoğan's complaint, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office dropped the charges against Kart. However, the decision was appealed by a lawyer representing Erdoğan. A prison sentence of 10 months was sought for Kart.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)