German prosecutors drop probe into comedian over Erdoğan poem

German prosecutors have said they have dropped their investigation into a TV comic who wrote a crude poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, citing insufficient evidence that he committed any crime.
In April, German Chancellor Angela Merkel accepted a Turkish request to allow the possible prosecution of Jan Böhmermann for insulting a foreign head of state. German law required the government to grant permission before prosecutors could consider whether to press charges.

Böhmermann had read the poem on ZDF television to illustrate what he said wouldn't be allowed in Germany, contrasting it with another channel's earlier satirical song about Erdoğan.

Prosecutors in Mainz, where ZDF is based, said in a statement on Oct. 4 that "criminal actions could not be proven with the necessary certainty."Istanbul welcomes third bridge over BosphorusLife in Jarablus after liberation from ISIL through the lens of Hürriyet reporter Selçuk ŞamiloğluGreenpeace's Rainbow Warrior traverses Istanbul's BosphorusHalfeti - A town of mesmerizing beautyExhibition shows Istanbul through eyes of children Secret weapons of Turkish army: locally produced rocket launchers, missile systemsThe bugs of Ankara: The weirdest scenes that anyone can run into in Turkish capitalA bird's eye view tour of Turkey's eastern provinces of Van and HakkariTurkish man with four wives has his 32nd childAirbus sunk for divers in Turkey's touristic Kuşadası

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