European court faults: Turkey over British artist’s conviction

STRASBOURG, (France): The European Court of Human Rights said Tuesday that Turkey violated a British artist’s freedom of speech by convicting him of “insulting” Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he was prime minister.

It was one of several incidents that have raised alarm over a crackdown on individual rights under Erdogan, who became president in 2014.

Michael Dickinson had been living in Turkey for some 20 years when he took part in a 2006 protest against the government’s support for the US war in Iraq.

He showed a collage with Erdogan’s head attached to the body of a dog held by a leash in the colours of the American flag, prompting an inquiry and trial where he again displayed the work, landing him several days in jail.