Turkish comedian arrested for “insulting” Islam and Erdogan

“I think it (the Quran) is the best of the four books; on the one hand, it is a bold statement in the 600s. It is also very difficult for the author; if a new idea comes to mind, so be it, we said: ‘This is the last book…’

This is the joke that led to Deniz Goktas, a popular Turkish comedian, being arrested on his arrival at Istanbul airport on Thursday for allegedly insulting Islam and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It is not yet clear which part of his 90-minute stand-up show, published on YouTube, constitutes an insult to the President of the Republic, which constitutes a criminal offense under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code. However, he openly called him a “dictator” who is finally “at peace with his desires.”

The recording of the show was broadcast on June 24 and has since been viewed almost nine million times. Göktas took a satirical look at political developments in Turkey and mocked almost all sides of the political spectrum, including Erdogan’s jailed rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, whose arrest last year sparked massive street protests.

Göktaş’s arrest comes as authorities have widened a crackdown on anyone seen as critical of Turkey’s Islamo-conservative government or its values, with growing legal investigations against musicians, artists, journalists and politicians, among others.

“Deniz Göktaş was arrested at Istanbul airport on July 2,” the Istanbul prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

He said he had received 185 complaints about a stand-up performance and added that he was being investigated for “publicly insulting religious values.”

Prior to his arrest, short clips from Göktaş’s show on social media platform X had been banned in Turkey on grounds of “national security and public order.”

A few days later, the prosecution opened an investigation against the actor, considering that the show contained “offensive statements constituting a criminal offense”.

Göktaş, who told X that he was on vacation abroad at the time, returned to Türkiye on Thursday, knowing he would be arrested.

He is due to appear in court Friday morning, his lawyer said.

Turkish media reported that the Ankara-born comedian began his stand-up career at Istanbul’s TuzBiber comedy club in 2019. He has since performed at venues in Europe and the United States.

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