Erdogan threatens to sue ‘Times’ for publishing critical letter
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday threatened to sue The Times of London for publishing an open letter criticizing his handling of anti-government protests.
Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon and Ben Kingsley were among the 11 celebrities, academics and others who signed the letter that accused Erdogan’s government last week of “dictatorial rule” and of causing the deaths of five protesters who died after clashes with police.
“The press wants to throw mud to see if it sticks. The Times is renting out its own pages for money,” Erdogan told reporters in comments broadcast live by NTV channel. “This is the Times’ failing. We will pursue legal channels regarding the Times.”
Protesters demanded that Erdogan resign, as they staged the country’s fiercest anti-government demonstrations in decades in Istanbul, Ankara and other major cities beginning in late May.
Many accused Erdogan of adopting an authoritarian tilt, or greater religious conservatism, after his Islamistrooted AK Party won the last three elections, increasing its share of the vote each time.
Erdogan has dismissed the protesters as “looters” and “terrorists,” and accused foreign governments and media outlets of stoking the civil disturbances.
He said the signatories of the letter, published as a fullpage advertisement in the Times, had “rented out their thoughts” and did not genuinely support democracy.
“If they truly believed in democracy, they couldn’t have displayed such a lack of character to call the leader of a party that won 50 percent of the vote a dictator,” he said.
The letter also accused Erdogan of undermining the principles of a free press for jailing dozens of journalists in recent years.
The Times had no immediate comment.