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ARTIST WILL 'PARTY' WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN'S MONEY
BGN News, Turkey
March 5 2015
The artist who will be paid TL 10,000 in compensation from President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning to spend the money on a March 21
Nevruz holiday celebration with his friends. Sculptor Mehmet Aksoy
filed suit and won against Erdogan when the president had called
his sculpture, created to promote reconciliation between Turkey and
Armenia, a "monstrosity."
"I will invite my friends on March 21 for Nevruz -- a spring festival
traditionally marked in the second half of March -- celebrations and
will spend the money there. I will share it with them," said sculptor
Mehmet Aksoy.
Aksoy said the ruling showed that politicians could not speak in such
a way without consequence, and that they should appreciate the arts
and artists.
"Artists and art must not be shoved around. We should protect our
freedoms and the whole realm of freedom. This ruling has proven that,"
he said, adding that he was happy justice had been served.
"There are judges who still have sense of justice, that is to say
there are judges of the Republic. Nobody can humiliate another just
from arrogance," he added.
On Tuesday, a court found Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
guilty of insulting renowned sculptor Mehmet Aksoy over an incident
in 2011 when he called Aksoy's statue symbolizing goodwill between
Turkey and Armenia a "monstrosity." The president was sentenced to
pay TL 10,000 in damages to the sculptor.
The comments by then-Prime Minister Erdogan came during a visit to
the northeastern city of Kars. "They put a monstrosity there, next
to the tomb of [scholar] Hasan Harakani," Erdogan had said during
his January 2011 visit, "It is impossible to think that such a thing
should exist next to a true work of art."
Aksoy then sued Erdogan for "insulting" him. An Ä°stanbul court
ruled on March 3 for Erdogan to pay TL 10,000 in moral indemnities
to Aksoy, partially accepting the TL 100,000 case Aksoy had filed
against Erdogan.
While Aksoy's attorney defended their case by saying that labeling the
sculpture a "monstrosity" was an insult to Aksoy, Erdogan's attorney
claimed that it was not as an insult, but rather a critique.
March 5, 2015 | DHA | Ä°stanbul
http://national.bgnnews.com/artist-will-party-with-turkish-president-erdogans-money-haberi/4029
BGN News, Turkey
March 5 2015
The artist who will be paid TL 10,000 in compensation from President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning to spend the money on a March 21
Nevruz holiday celebration with his friends. Sculptor Mehmet Aksoy
filed suit and won against Erdogan when the president had called
his sculpture, created to promote reconciliation between Turkey and
Armenia, a "monstrosity."
"I will invite my friends on March 21 for Nevruz -- a spring festival
traditionally marked in the second half of March -- celebrations and
will spend the money there. I will share it with them," said sculptor
Mehmet Aksoy.
Aksoy said the ruling showed that politicians could not speak in such
a way without consequence, and that they should appreciate the arts
and artists.
"Artists and art must not be shoved around. We should protect our
freedoms and the whole realm of freedom. This ruling has proven that,"
he said, adding that he was happy justice had been served.
"There are judges who still have sense of justice, that is to say
there are judges of the Republic. Nobody can humiliate another just
from arrogance," he added.
On Tuesday, a court found Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
guilty of insulting renowned sculptor Mehmet Aksoy over an incident
in 2011 when he called Aksoy's statue symbolizing goodwill between
Turkey and Armenia a "monstrosity." The president was sentenced to
pay TL 10,000 in damages to the sculptor.
The comments by then-Prime Minister Erdogan came during a visit to
the northeastern city of Kars. "They put a monstrosity there, next
to the tomb of [scholar] Hasan Harakani," Erdogan had said during
his January 2011 visit, "It is impossible to think that such a thing
should exist next to a true work of art."
Aksoy then sued Erdogan for "insulting" him. An Ä°stanbul court
ruled on March 3 for Erdogan to pay TL 10,000 in moral indemnities
to Aksoy, partially accepting the TL 100,000 case Aksoy had filed
against Erdogan.
While Aksoy's attorney defended their case by saying that labeling the
sculpture a "monstrosity" was an insult to Aksoy, Erdogan's attorney
claimed that it was not as an insult, but rather a critique.
March 5, 2015 | DHA | Ä°stanbul
http://national.bgnnews.com/artist-will-party-with-turkish-president-erdogans-money-haberi/4029