The Russian RBK has released an article devoted to the legal work styles of different countries when it comes to insulting the primary figure of a particular state. The title reads “Words and Actions: How Authorities are Insulted in Europe”.

The 1926 Turkish Criminal Code envisages various bans in case of expressions that may insult the President, the republic, the Grand National Assembly, the armed forces and even “Turkishness”, for that matter. The earthquake of the 17th of August 1999 took the lives of tens of thousands of Turks. Journalists of Milliyet newspaper came to the conclusion that President Suleyman Demirel had not only failed to undertake the necessary measures to eliminate the consequences of the tragedy, but also didn’t bear any liability for that.

The saddest of the several cases of insulting “Turkishness” was the case of Firat Dink, who wrote his name as Hrant. The journalist, who was of Armenian descent, had published an article devoted to the Armenian minority in Turkey in the Agos newspaper. The releases were followed by protests and a process for insult to Turkishness. The indictment was approved by the Cassation Court of Turkey in spite of the attorney general’s conclusion on insulting “Turkishness”. On January 19, 2007, Hrant Dink was assassinated by a representative of an ultranationalist organization, and police knew about the representative’s plans. The European Court stated that the police didn’t take any action to prevent the assassination and saw not only a violation of freedom of speech, but a violation of the right to life.