Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sued a Greek newspaper due to what he claimed was an insulting and vulgar headline.
Greek daily Dimokratia published an article in September on drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean with the headline bearing a Turkish swearword. The editors could face up to five years in prison if convicted in absentia.
While Turkey and Greece are both NATO allies, they remain at odds over several key issues, namely, and more recently, the issue of the Eastern Mediterranean.
“With what right is Erdogan bullying the newspaper, not just the editors and journalists of Dimokratia, but the nation as a whole?” Dimitris Rizoulis, managing editor of the Greek daily, said.
“Authorities here should have never taken delivery of the suit, rather sent it back to Erdogan’s office,” he added.
The Greek foreign ministry has reproached the paper for its tone but said it would not extradite the paper’s editorial staff to Turkey for trial and potential imprisonment.