Outrage after Turkish stand-up comedian arrested for 'insulting' Erdogan
Authorities have arrested a popular Turkish comedian after he was accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and "insulting religious values".
Deniz Goktas was apprehended at Istanbul Airport on Thursday, the Istanbul public prosecutors' office said in a statement, as he arrived home from holiday, before being formally arrested.
The allegations relate to a stand-up performance he gave in Istanbul on 1 June, which was posted on YouTube and has since been viewed nearly nine million times.
The show poked fun at politics and society in Turkey, including satirical jibes at Erdogan, jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, and Erdogan's sons-in-law, Berat Albayrak and Selcuk Bayraktar.
During the show, he described Erdogan as having transitioned from a "shy dictator" to one who is "at peace with his own identity".
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
"You know, I wish I could be Recep Tayyip Erdogan's therapist. The pay would be excellent. It would clearly take years, there would be perks and the like; it's the perfect job for me," he said.
He also made a joke referencing the Quran as the fourth and final book in Islam.
"The first three books were good, but the translation was weak in the fourth. I think it was the best of the four books," he said.
Speaking in court on Friday, Goktas pointed out he had been performing his show since 2023 and had never intended to insult either religion or the president.
"The word 'dictator' is a political characterisation. It is also a subject that is frequently debated in public. I had no intention of insulting or denigrating anyone," he told prosecutors.
According to the prosecutor, his show had received 185 complaints.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) also blocked access to some excerpts from the show shared on social media.
'Inventing a crime'
His arrest has sparked condemnation from Turkish rights groups and politicians, who denounced it as an attack on freedom of expression and another attempt to crack down on criticism of the government.
Murat Emir, an MP for the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), accused the courts of engaging in a game of "inventing a crime to arrest someone".
"You folks gripe about comedians, but the real improv show in this country is happening in the courthouse hallways," he wrote on X.
The Turkish Human Rights Association described his arrest as a "severe blow to freedom of Expression".
"We demand that this judicial harassment against Goktas be immediately ended and that he be released," the group wrote on X.
Thousands of people are arrested and prosecuted each year on charges of insulting the president in Turkey.
The charge under Article 299 of the Turkish penal code can lead to up to four years in prison.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
