Comedian Arrested in Turkey Told Opposition Leader to 'Release the CHP,' Lawyers Confirm

Comedian Deniz Göktaş has been arrested and jailed in Turkey upon his return from an overseas trip. The arrest followed an investigation into his stand-up comedy show titled "Dead Sea," which allegedly contained offensive remarks. Göktaş was detained at passport control and later appeared at the Çağlayan Courthouse, where a judge ordered his imprisonment.

Following the arrest, journalist Barış Pehlivan reported speaking with Göktaş's lawyer, Metin Aslan. Aslan claimed that during a visit from opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Göktaş told the politician to "release the CHP." This statement, if true, suggests a critical message from the detained comedian to the Republican People's Party (CHP) leadership.

However, initial reactions from Kılıçdaroğlu's camp contradicted this account. Atakan Sönmez, an advisor to Kılıçdaroğlu, issued a statement denying that such a sentence was uttered during the meeting. Sönmez stated that Kılıçdaroğlu visited Göktaş to offer support and that the comedian did not make the alleged remark, either directly or indirectly. Gökhan Hacır, a journalist and TGRT program host, also reported speaking with Kılıçdaroğlu, who similarly denied the statement.

Despite the initial denials, Göktaş's lawyers later confirmed the comedian's statement to Kılıçdaroğlu. In a statement released after the controversy, the lawyers asserted that Göktaş, during a visit at Karatepe Prison, reiterated his message to Kılıçdaroğlu: "release the CHP." This confirmation adds a layer of complexity to the situation, highlighting a potential internal tension or message from Göktaş to the opposition party amidst his legal troubles.