Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed a lawsuit against Greek daily newspaper 'Dimokratia' at a prosecutor's office in Ankara, it was reported on Wednesday.
The lawsuit specifically targets the newspaper's director, two chief editors, and a journalist, Dimokratia noted in an announcement.
"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is prosecuting the newspaper 'Democracy' [Dimokratia] and wants to sentence four of its staff to imprisonment in Turkey, which can reach up to five years. This is the first time that a foreign head of state has turned against a Greek newspaper, and for political reasons, as is clear from the text of the lawsuit sent by the Ankara prosecutor's office," added Dimokratia.
The reason behind this legal action "is Dimokratia's September 18, 2020 front page title 'Siktir Git', which expressed the indignation of the majority of Greeks for a series of insulting reports both by Erdogan himself and by his ministers or advisers, during the period of illegal sea surveys carried out by the Oruc Reis vessel," Dimokratia pointed out.
"Most importantly," Dimokratia continued, the official legal text submitted to Greek authorities is full of provocations. The Aegean Sea is referred to as the 'sea of islands', and the Turkish side accuses the paper's journalists of creating obstacles to Mr. Erdogan's aspirations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean," underlined the newspaper.
"Dimokratia refuses to participate in the relevant legal proceedings based on Erdogan's parody lawsuit, and considers it an honor that the Turkish leadership characterizes our newspaper as an obstacle to its expansionist and dangerous plans," Dimokratia concluded.
