Sculptor cleared of insulting Erdo?an

A Turkish sculptor has been acquitted on charges of insulting the Turkish president after he was tried for suggesting money won in compensation in a previous case against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an was "illicit."

Sculptor Mehmet Aksoy was acquitted by an Istanbul court on Feb. 16 on defamation charges in the case Erdo?an's lawyers filed against the former's statement, "I'm not going to invest illicit money in making a sculpture," which he made after winning another case he filed against Erdo?an.

Aksoy filed the case against Erdo?an after the Turkish president declared a sculpture made by him in the northeastern province of Kars to be a "freak."

On Mar. 3, 2015, the court ordered Erdo?an to pay 10,000 liras in moral indemnities to Aksoy, partially accepting the 100,000-lira case Aksoy filed against Erdo?an.  

While Aksoy's lawyer said labeling the sculpture a "freak" was an insult to Aksoy, Erdo?an's legal team claimed that it was not as an insult, but rather a critique.
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