Turkish Court Rules 'Jew' as Offensive Term

A civil court in Bursa, Turkey, has found a citizen guilty of using the term 'Jew' in a post on social media criticizing the country's president. According to reports from Istanbul's Armenian Agos newspaper, the individual wrote that Erdogan pretends to be a Muslim but is actually a Jew.

In response to this statement, Erdogan's lawyer sent a letter to the court arguing that the term 'Jew' is derogatory and offensive. During the trial, the defendant's lawyer, Baran Gunes, emphasized that Jews are honorable citizens of Turkey and that calling someone a Jew cannot be offensive. However, the court deemed the term 'Jew' to be insulting and sentenced the individual to 10 months in prison, which was later commuted to a fine of 7,000 Turkish lira.