Comedian Deniz Göktaş arrested again hours after release

Comedian Deniz Göktaş has been rearrested on a new charge just hours after his release from prison, where he had been held for two months. Göktaş, known for his show 'Dead Sea,' was initially detained at Istanbul Airport on July 2 and later arrested on charges of "insulting the president" and "demeaning religious values."

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I have good news and bad news. Good news: I was released. Bad news: I was arrested.

Yesterday, a court ordered Göktaş's release on these charges. However, his freedom was short-lived. He was immediately rearrested by another court on a charge of "praising crime and criminals." This new charge stems from a joke made during the same performance, where he quipped about hiring a hitman to kill a rival comedian using ticket sales and cryptocurrency.

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This time, I was arrested for the joke about the Daltons, on the charge of 'praising crime and criminals.'

From the Karatepe High-Security Prison, Göktaş shared his predicament on X, formerly Twitter. "I have good news and bad news," he wrote. "Good news: I was released. Bad news: I was arrested." He explained that he learned of both developments at the same speed as the public. The new arrest is based on his joke about the Dalton gang.

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I learned about these two pieces of news at the same speed you read them.

Göktaş described his brief moment of freedom during a one-minute walk to a video conference, wishing he had "danced a little" had he known he was free. He stated his lawyers were not informed of the new proceedings and that he was brought directly to a hearing. When presented with the text of the joke, he felt as if he were being asked why he thought children should be beaten, after saying they should not be. He concluded by noting that a new charge emerges every two months from his 90-minute show and that he will celebrate the opening of the judicial year in prison.

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I learned about these two pieces of news at the same speed you read them.