http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/05/world/europe/jan-bohmermann-recep-tayyip-erdogan.html 2016-10-04 23:01:12 German Prosecutors Side With Satire, Not Turkish President Prosecutors saw no crime in a satirical poem about Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, and dropped charges against a German comedian. === BERLIN — In the end, German prosecutors decided that a satirical poem was just that, an act of hyperbole in the name of art — not a criminal attempt to insult a foreign leader, President An announcement Tuesday by state prosecutors in the western city of Mainz that they were dropping charges against Jan Böhmermann, who read aloud a profanity-laced poem about Mr. Erdogan on late-night TV in March, brought to a partial close an international dispute over freedoms of speech and artistic expression that had threatened to unravel a major diplomatic deal and drove the German comedian In a lengthy statement, prosecutors said their investigation, begun in April, had failed to turn up sufficient evidence of criminal intent on the part of Mr. Böhmermann, 35, Mr. Böhmermann, who returned to the screen in May after a hiatus — albeit without further mention of Turkey, or Turkish politics — Ms. Merkel later apologized for her first comments about the poem, calling her response “a mistake.” She nevertheless allowed the Turkish leader to pursue his legal suit against Mr. Böhmermann under a little-used 19th-century law, declaring her faith that the protections provided under The dispute over the poem Weeks earlier, Mr. Erdogan’s government had The prosecutors upheld the argument of Mr. Böhmermann and the producer of his show, the public broadcaster ZDF, that the poem was satire. “An average, well-informed public could expect that any comments made there would involve exaggeration and hyperbole and lack in seriousness,” their statement said. And they said Mr. Erdogan appeared to have been aware of this fact because he frequently referred to Mr. Böhmermann’s television show as a “nonsense program.” The decision was resoundingly welcomed by journalists and widely celebrated by many Germans over social media. “This is the only correct decision,” said Frank Überall, the head of the German Journalists Association. “It makes clear that in Germany, the freedom of satire is valued above the touchiness of an autocrat.” Thomas Bellut, director of ZDF, welcomed the decision, noting that the detailed explanation makes clear “that an exceptionally high value is placed on the freedom of art and speech in our society.” The Mainz prosecutors’ decision not to press charges will not affect a separate legal proceeding by a state court in the northern city of Hamburg, where Mr. Erdogan is seeking an injunction against the poem. That trial is expected to begin next month.