A Turkish court has convicted comedian Deniz Göktaş over remarks made about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a stand-up performance, but ordered his release pending the completion of the appeal process.
Göktaş, 32, was convicted on Monday in Istanbul after facing charges stemming from his “Dead Sea” comedy show, which was recorded in June and later went viral online. The performance attracted millions of views on YouTube and was widely shared on social media.
The comedian was sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison for insulting the president. The court also convicted him on a second charge related to publicly insulting religious values, for which he received an additional seven months and 15 days, according to reports from the court proceedings. He was acquitted of a separate charge of praising crime and criminals.
Göktaş had spent almost three months in custody after his arrest on July 3, following an investigation into comments made during the performance. Prosecutors had accused him of insulting Erdoğan, inciting public hatred and hostility, and praising crime and criminals.
During the hearing, Göktaş defended his remarks as political satire. Prosecutors had particularly objected to his description of Erdoğan as a “shy dictator.” The comedian argued that the word was a political characterisation rather than an insult and said political comedy should be able to address the country’s leadership.
He also argued that humour and satire have historically played a role in Turkish public life and told the court that artists should not face censorship or detention because of jokes performed on stage.
The case attracted supporters and fellow comedians to the Çağlayan courthouse in Istanbul, with dozens gathering outside to call for his release. Observers from the Dutch embassy and the United States consulate were also present at the proceedings.
The court ordered Göktaş’s release while the judicial review and appeal process continues. The final outcome of the case will therefore depend on the subsequent legal proceedings.
The case has drawn renewed attention to freedom-of-expression issues in Turkey, where insulting the president is a criminal offence. Supporters of Göktaş have described his prosecution as an issue of artistic and political expression, while the charges against him were brought under Turkey’s existing criminal laws.
Post a Comment