Jan Boehmermann could face jail

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a criminal complaint against the German comedian who insulted him.

Jan Boehmermann could face a four-year prison sentence in Turkey if found guilty.

The president had previously tried to bring a case against Bohmermann in Germany over the satirical poem he read on the ZDFneo TV channel in March last year.

His verse included lines about the autocratic leader having sex with goats and sheep and watching child pornography, while also highlighting his regime’s treatment of the Kurdish people

Although Chancellor Angela Merkel controversially agreed to open an investigation into whether Boehmermann breached a law banning insults against foreign leaders, no charges were brought.

Now a 15-page complaint has been lodged with the chief public prosecutor’s Office in Ankara, Turkish website YeniSafak reports.

Published: 28 Apr 2017