A Turkish court on Friday ordered comedian Deniz Goktas jailed pending trial on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Goktas, 32, was detained Thursday at Istanbul's main airport upon his return from a trip abroad, days after prosecutors initiated an investigation into his comedy show, which had garnered millions of views online.
The routine, recorded in Istanbul last month and uploaded to YouTube on June 24, amassed approximately 9.5 million views. According to the pro-government newspaper Sabah, dozens of offended viewers filed complaints, prompting the investigation.
During questioning, Goktas stated he had no intention of degrading religious values or insulting the president, asserting his performance was satirical. He explained that a remark describing Erdogan as having evolved from a "shy dictator" to one "confident in his identity" reflected a widely debated topic in Turkey, according to excerpts of his testimony published by the rights-focused news portal Bianet.
Insulting the president is a criminal offense in Turkey, carrying a potential sentence of up to four years in prison. Critics of Erdogan's more than two decades in power argue that he has progressively limited freedom of expression, leading to frequent investigations, detentions, or prosecutions of journalists and government critics.
Supporters of Goktas gathered at the courthouse on Friday, chanting anti-government slogans, according to the opposition-leaning newspaper Cumhuriyet. The Turkish government maintains that the country's courts are impartial and independent of political influence.