'Was Gollum reference an insult to Erdogan?'

Court appoints panel of experts to decide if LOTR reference to the Turkish president is a punishable offence

Istanbul: A Turkish court has asked experts to analyse the Lord of the Rings character Gollum to decide whether a doctor should be jailed for comparing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the figure.

A Turkish is facing up to two years in jail for “insulting” the President after sharing images comparing Erdogan (above) to Gollum. File pics

Bilgin Ciftci is facing up to two years in jail for “insulting” the President after sharing images comparing Erdogan to Gollum, a thin, pale, gangrel creature with a personality split between good and evil in JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novels and the hugely successful films.

Unable to decide whether Erdogan truly looks like Gollum, the court in the western province of Aydin asked a group of experts — two academicians, two psychologists as well as a cinema authority — to determine whether the comparison was an insult.

The judge took the decision after admitting to not having seen the whole of the fantasy blockbusters, based on the novel and directed by Peter Jackson. The court agreed to adjourn the case until February.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!