Turkish comedian arrested for “insulting” Islam & Erdogan

A Turkish stand-up comedian whose performances have attracted millions of online viewers was detained on Thursday after being accused of insulting Islam and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to prosecutors and his lawyer.

Authorities detained Deniz Göktaş, 32, at Istanbul Airport.

Turkey has seen a growing number of legal cases brought against musicians, artists, journalists, politicians, and government critics in recent years.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that "Deniz Göktaş was detained at Istanbul Airport on July 2," adding that it had received 185 complaints regarding the comedian's performance and had launched an investigation over "insults to religious values."

According to Turkish media reports citing his lawyer, Metin Aslan, Göktaş also faces accusations of "insulting the president."

The performance, staged in Istanbul on June 24, was uploaded to YouTube as a 90-minute video and has been viewed nearly 9 million times.

During the show, Göktaş delivers a satirical take on Turkey's political developments, referencing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his main political rival, jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose arrest in March 2025 sparked widespread protests.

Prosecutors opened an investigation, arguing that the video contained "offensive statements constituting a criminal offense."

Göktaş had previously posted on X that he was on vacation abroad. He was detained immediately after landing in Istanbul.

According to his lawyer, he is scheduled to appear before a court on Friday morning.

Born in Ankara, Göktaş began performing stand-up comedy at a club in Istanbul in 2019 and has since staged performances across Europe and the United States.