In Turkey, a Gollum Meme Could Land You In Jail

Turkish doctor Bilgin Çiftçi could be spending up to two years in prison for sharing an image that compares the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to Gollum from Lord of the Rings.



Mockery of the president is punishable by jail time in Turkey, so in order to avoid it, Çiftçi's legal team is arguing that Gollum is a hero in the series. After the judge in the trial admitted that he had never seen the films in their entirety, he appointed a team of experts who must determine whether or not the defense has any legs. The team has between now and February to decide if Gollum's accidental heroics are enough to keep Çiftçi out of jail.