In Istanbul, court officials have placed stand‑up comic Deniz Göktaş in pre‑trial detention after a performance that satirised President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Quran went viral on YouTube. The clip, which has attracted 9.4 million views, is said to have caused “incitement to hatred and hostility” and to have insulted the Turkish leader.
Göktaş was held at Istanbul’s main airport as he returned from holiday, and images of him being handcuffed drew sharp criticism from supporters who gathered outside the courthouse. Authorities recorded 185 complaints about the routine, and the Directorate of Religious Affairs mentioned it in a daily sermon broadcast to mosques nationwide.
His arrest follows a wave of detentions ahead of the 7‑8 July NATO summit, where Turkey will host U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The government has barred demonstrations in Ankara until 10 July and denied independent media outlets accreditation. Journalists, activists, lawyers and environmental campaigners were also taken into custody in recent weeks.
Rights groups and political opposition leaders have condemned the move as part of a broader crackdown on dissent. The Workers’ Party and other groups argue that satire is protected under Turkey’s constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, and that Göktaş faces prison simply for telling jokes.
Opposition figures, including Istanbul Mayor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, have been hostile to the treatment of the comedian, warning that the actions signal a “judicial coup” against Turkish democracy.
