Judge Murat Saz of Aydin, Turkey, recently adjourned the trial of Biligin Ciftci in order for five experts to decided whether or not comparing someone to Gollum of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is considered an insult. It is a crime in Turkey to insult a public figure, and via Facebook, Ciftci posted several pictures comparing the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Gollum. Ciftci has not only been prosecuted for this action, but has also lost his job as physician and civil servant.

The five experts debating the fictional character include two academics, two behavioral scientists or psychologists, and a movie or television expert. However, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has issued a statement in defense of Ciftci, tapping in to a technicality of the prosecution. The photos used by Ciftci to compare Erdogan with Gollum where actually not of Gollum at all; rather, the images used depicted Smeagol, Gollum’s softer alter-ego.

According to Jackson, Smeagol is a lovable personality, without ill intentions- all the malicious characteristics of his character are only present in Gollum, who should not be confused with Smeagol. Whether or not Jackson’s statement will have any affect on Citfci’s trials has yet to be seen.