The Aydin court has adjourned so that the distinguished, but clearly out-of-touch-with-popular-culture judge can watch Lord of the Rings. And so that a panel of literary, film and other experts can advise him whether the character Gollum is good or evil and whether comparing someone to him can be considered insulting. Specificaly whether Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan can be so described without impugning his reputation.
Article 299 of the Turkish penal code, a republican take on the largely obsolete prohibition elsewhere on lèse majesté , makes insulting the president of the republic punishable by a prison for up to four years. And Erdogan is a particularly sensitive soul – between August last year and March this year, 236 people were investigated for "insulting the head of state"; 105 indicted; eight formally arrested.
In the past Erdogan's targets have included cartoonists – one who depicted him as a kitten tangled up in a ball of his own yarn – writers, artists, and journalists, among others. .A 16-year-old boy was indicted earlier this year for calling the president a thief during a demo, and a former Miss Turkey was charged for posting an "insulting" poem on her Instagram account. Erdogan went after seven high school students for publicly calling him "lightbulb Erdogan."
In Aydin the president’s lawyers are suing local doctor Bilgin Ciftci who was fired from his health sector job after he shared pictures on social media of Erdogan juxtaposed with those of the “small, slimy creature” Gollum, immortalised in JRR Tolkien’s novels . In this case, however, the prosecution case is muddied by the very complexity of Gollum’s character
“We said Gollum can’t be defined as evil,” Ciftci’s lawyer, Hicran Danisman insists “ The character itself is a war between good and bad. He is basically seen as a victim of society.” No insult, but a compliment. Film director Peter Jackson has joined the argument by pointing out that the figure depicted in the photos was not even Gollum, but Smeagol, the other half of the character’s split personality and a Hobbit just like, our heroes Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, although later corrupted by the One Ring.
Erdogan, it canbe argued, has also made a similar transition; and, will he like Gollum also begin to eschew the “I” for the royal “we”. More fitting to a man who cetainly know his own worth.