While on trial, Ciftci is already found guilty by his employer as he was sacked from his job at Turkey’s public health service in October.
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The judge took the decision after admitting to not having seen the whole of the fantasy blockbusters, based on the novels and directed by Peter Jackson.
Gollum, is a character created by the author of the Lord of the Rings, J. A doctor who likened President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the pasty, cave-dwelling creature is facing as much as two years of time of time in jail in Turkey, where insulting the president is a criminal offense, reports stated Wednesday.
The court is looking into the case to establish whether Dr. Bilgin Ciftci, a physician, insulted the president when he shared a meme comparing Erdogan’s eating habits – as well as emotions such as surprise and amazement – with those of Gollum.
A Turkish man’s freedom is in the hands of five so-called experts on The Lord of the Rings book series, who must now determine whether the character Gollum was actually evil.
Ciftci’s lawyer, Hicran Danisman, said that the case has come down to “a case of saving the pride of Gollum”. Danışman stated in a previous hearing that neither the prosecutor nor the chief judge had seen the movies, even though the character of Gollum was at the center of the case.
Therefore, two academics, two behavioral scientists or psychologists, and a media expert have been called to testify on whether Gollum and any comparison to him is good or bad.
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Since a year ago, nearly 250 people have reportedly been investigated for insulting the head of state, and around 100 have been indicted.
