Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed a criminal complaint against FDP politician Wolfgang Kubicki for insult through a Cologne lawyer. The lawyer for criminal law, Mustafa Kaplan, told the German Press Agency that he had filed a criminal complaint on behalf of Erdogan with the public prosecutor in Hildesheim for insult and defamation. A spokeswoman for the authority said that the criminal complaint was received on Thursday after work - it was made in particular for insult and defamation. Kubicki had described Erdogan as a "little sewer rat".
The news magazine "Spiegel" had previously reported on it. FDP Vice Kubicki said when asked by the dpa that he was not concerned about a possible legal dispute with Erdogan.
According to "Spiegel", Kaplan's letter to the public prosecutor's office states that the Bundestag Vice President's statement is likely to "make the person concerned contemptible". It is an "unlawful attack on the honor of another person." The magazine's report is accurate, Kaplan confirmed. Because of Kubicki's statement, Ankara had already summoned the German ambassador.
Kubicki said on Friday: "The fact that Mr. Erdogan has had around 200,000 such proceedings initiated since he took office in 2014 says it all. In any case, I look forward to a possible legal dispute with equanimity." In contrast to Turkey, Germany is a constitutional state in which freedom of opinion and freedom of expression have central constitutional status.
According to his own statements, Kubicki had chosen the animal comparison in connection with Turkey's refugee policy. Erdogan has made a deal with the European Union to reduce the number of refugees that is advantageous for Turkey. "Nevertheless, we have to see that the wave of refugees via the Balkan route is increasing again, which again poses challenges for German foreign and domestic policy," said Kubicki.
Regarding the choice of words "little sewer rat", he added: "A sewer rat is a small, cute, yet clever and devious creature, which is why she also appears as a protagonist in children's stories ("Kalle sewer rat", "Ratatouille")."
