Turkish PM says freedom of press ‘does not mean freedom to insult’

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday said freedom of the press does not give a license to insult, describing the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as a “grave provocation.”

“Freedom of the press does not mean freedom to insult,” Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara a day after leading Turkish daily Cumhuriyet and Internet sites published cartoons featuring the prophet from the special Charlie Hebdo issue. “We cannot allow insults to the prophet... Printing the cartoon is a grave provocation,” he said.

Davutoglu also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Infographic: Muslims angered by Charlie Hebdo's prophet cartoon

He said Netanyahu had committed crimes against humanity comparable to those behind the Paris attacks that left 17 dead.

“Netanyahu has committed crimes against humanity the same like those terrorists who carried out the Paris massacre,” he told reporters in televised comments, pointing to the deadly 2010 Israeli assault on a Turkish aid vessel and last year’s onslaught on Hamas-controlled Gaza.