ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish court has ordered a comedian held behind bars while awaiting trial on charges that he insulted religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stemming from a stand-up performance in which he referred to the president as a “dictator.”
Deniz Goktas, 32, was taken into custody Thursday at Istanbul’s primary airport when he landed after traveling abroad. The arrest came just days after prosecutors had opened a formal investigation into his comedy show, which had gained widespread attention online. Following questioning by prosecutors on Friday, he was officially placed under arrest, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
The performance, which was recorded in Istanbul last month, racked up roughly 9.5 million views after being posted to YouTube on June 24. The pro-government newspaper Sabah reported that dozens of viewers filed complaints over jokes targeting religion, which triggered the investigation.
While being questioned, Goktas maintained that he never intended to demean religious values or disrespect the president, explaining that his comedy was meant to be satirical in nature.
When prosecutors pressed him on a joke in which he described Erdogan as having gone from a “shy dictator” to one “confident in his identity,” Goktas responded that the comment reflected a subject that is openly discussed and debated within Turkey. Those details came from excerpts of his testimony published by Bianet, a news outlet focused on human rights issues.
Under Turkish law, insulting the president is considered a criminal offense and can result in a prison sentence of as many as four years.
Erdogan has held power for more than two decades, and critics argue that freedom of expression has been progressively restricted during that time. Journalists and those who speak out against the government regularly face legal investigations, detention, or prosecution.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely regarded as Erdogan’s primary political rival, has been imprisoned since March of last year and is currently standing trial on corruption charges. Hundreds of additional mayors and officials from the leading opposition party are also facing corruption-related prosecutions, and the party’s leader was removed from his position by court order — actions that critics contend are designed to weaken the opposition before the next round of elections.
Erdogan’s administration maintains that Turkey’s judicial system operates independently and free from political influence.
On Friday, dozens of supporters gathered outside the courthouse to show solidarity with the comedian, chanting slogans against the government, according to the opposition-leaning newspaper Cumhuriyet.
