Stephff replies to the Turkish embassy
Re: “Stephff erred in cartoon mocking Turkish president’s ‘Nazi’ accusation”, Letters, yesterday.
I normally do not take the trouble to answer to far-right overzealous readers who keep complaining my cartoons are unfair to Putin, Trump or Kim Jong-un because frankly I don’t have time to argue with people who see the world upside-down.
However this cartoon you complained about is especially close to my heart because it concerns a Turkish political cartoonist, Musa Kart, who has been in jail for 90 days for the only crime of satirising the president. I think this clear violation of human rights and freedom of the press is a little worse than the discomfort experienced by a Turkish minister sat in first class when the Netherlands refused to let his plane land.
In Turkey there are many journalists being accused or charged with “terrorism”, and we all know that the label is pure BS. I had been planning to take a Turkish Airlines flight and stop in Istanbul on my way to my annual vacations in France. I love Istanbul and would love to see more of Turkey – especially with my Thai wife who has never been to this beautifula nad fascinating country. But the way its government is treating satirists and caricaturists has made me think twice.
Stephff
Chargé de Satire
