Turkey’s Erdogan sues French magazine Le Point over ‘eradicator’ cover

The magazine published a picture of the president giving a military salute with the subtitle ‘Ethnic cleansing: the Erdogan method’

In a petition presented to a prosecutor’s office, Erdogan’s lawyer said the cover was ‘publicly insulting’ to the leader

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: AP

Published: 7:01pm, 25 Oct 2019Updated: 7:03pm, 25 Oct 2019

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched legal proceedings against a French magazine, which branded Turkey’s president “The Eradicator” after he sent troops into Syria to push back Kurdish forces, media reported on Friday.

The complaint was filed against Le Point director Etienne Gernelle and the head of the magazine’s international service Romain Gubert, the official Anadolu news agency reported.

On this week’s cover Le Point published a picture of Erdogan giving a military salute with the subtitle “Ethnic cleansing: the Erdogan method”, provoking sharp criticism from Turkish government officials.

The cover’s headline called Erdogan “The Eradicator” and asked: “Will he be allowed to massacre the Kurds – and threaten Europe?”

In a petition presented to the Ankara prosecutor’s office, Erdogan’s lawyer Huseyin Aydin said the cover was “publicly insulting” to the president – a crime in Turkey.