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| Angela Merkel accepts Turkish request to seek prosecution of German comedian Jan Böhmermann | Angela Merkel accepts Turkish request to seek prosecution of German comedian Jan Böhmermann |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Angela Merkel has accepted a request from Turkey to seek the prosecution of comedian for reading out an offensive poem about the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on German television. | Angela Merkel has accepted a request from Turkey to seek the prosecution of comedian for reading out an offensive poem about the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on German television. |
| Under a section of Germany's criminal code, the government has to authorise prosecutors to pursue a case against the comedian, Jan Böhmermann, who is accused of insulting a foreign leader. | Under a section of Germany's criminal code, the government has to authorise prosecutors to pursue a case against the comedian, Jan Böhmermann, who is accused of insulting a foreign leader. |
| "There were different opinions between the coalition partners - the conservatives and the SPD (Social Democrats)," the German Chancellor Ms Merkel told reporters in Berlin. | "There were different opinions between the coalition partners - the conservatives and the SPD (Social Democrats)," the German Chancellor Ms Merkel told reporters in Berlin. |
| "The outcome is that the German government will give the authorisation in the current case," she added, stressing that this was not a decision about the merits of the prosecution's case against Böhmermann. | "The outcome is that the German government will give the authorisation in the current case," she added, stressing that this was not a decision about the merits of the prosecution's case against Böhmermann. |
| However, the German leader also announced that the country would by 2018 scrap the rarely enforced section 103 of the criminal code - insulting representatives of foreign states - as a result of the embarrassing affair. | However, the German leader also announced that the country would by 2018 scrap the rarely enforced section 103 of the criminal code - insulting representatives of foreign states - as a result of the embarrassing affair. |
| In the poem Böhmermann calls the Turkish premier a "goat f*****" and also said Mr Erdogan "watches child porn while kicking Kurds", in reference to accusations against him that he is persecuting the Kurdish minority in the country. | In the poem Böhmermann calls the Turkish premier a "goat f*****" and also said Mr Erdogan "watches child porn while kicking Kurds", in reference to accusations against him that he is persecuting the Kurdish minority in the country. |
| "Erdogan is definitely a president with a small tail," adds the comedian, in a line where "tail" is understood in German to refer to another part of the male anatomy. | "Erdogan is definitely a president with a small tail," adds the comedian, in a line where "tail" is understood in German to refer to another part of the male anatomy. |
| Ms Merkel has recently helped broker a deal with Mr Erdogan that for every refugee returned from Greece back to Turkey, one will be admitted into the EU from Turkey's refugee camps. | Ms Merkel has recently helped broker a deal with Mr Erdogan that for every refugee returned from Greece back to Turkey, one will be admitted into the EU from Turkey's refugee camps. |
| Additional reporting by agencies |