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🇦🇹 Austria /Crime & Justice

Comedian faces more than nine years in prison over Erdoğan jokes

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • An Istanbul court accepted charges against comedian Deniz Göktaş, who faces up to nine years and eight months in prison.
  • Prosecutors accuse him of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, inciting hatred, praising crimes and criminals, and making jokes about women in conservative swimwear.
  • Göktaş has denied all allegations, remains in pretrial detention and is due to appear in court on Sept. 28, while rights groups criticize the case as an attack on free expression.

A Turkish comedian faces up to nine years and eight months in prison after an Istanbul court accepted an indictment over jokes made in a YouTube special that drew 14 million views.

The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office accuses 32-year-old Deniz Göktaş of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, inciting the public to hatred and hostility, and praising crimes and criminals. The case centers on remarks in a special released on June 24. Prosecutors said his comments about Erdoğan “crossed the limits of criticism” and damaged the president’s reputation and dignity in the public eye.

Göktaş said during the program, “I have never liked Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, not even for one minute in my life.” He has rejected all the accusations. Prosecutors also allege that he made jokes about women swimming in the sea in Islamic-conservative swimwear and spoke approvingly about a criminal group.

I have never liked Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, not even for one minute in my life.

· Deniz GöktaşThe comedian made the remark in the YouTube special at the center of the prosecution.

The comedian has remained in pretrial detention since July 3. The court ordered that he stay in custody and scheduled the first hearing for Sept. 28. The special also included jokes about religion and other social and political subjects, provoking strong criticism from pro-government figures.

Human rights organizations have protested the case. They describe it as an attack on freedom of expression and an effort to suppress dissent.

Crossed the limits of criticism.

· Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s OfficeProsecutors used this phrase to characterize Göktaş’s comments about Erdoğan.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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