Turkish stand‑up artist receives prison term for insulting President Erdogan, released pending appeal

ISTANBUL — A Turkish court sentenced a comedian to more than 19 months in prison on Monday on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The sentence was handed down, but the performer was released while awaiting an appeal.

Deniz Goktas, 32, had been detained in jail since July 3 after clips of his routine, which included calling Erdogan a “dictator,” were circulated online.

He was convicted Monday of insulting the president and insulting religious values, receiving a combined prison sentence of 19 months and 10 days.

During his courtroom defense, which drew laughter from the audience, Goktas maintained his joke that portrayed Erdogan as evolving from a “shy dictator” to one “confident in his identity.”

Goktas argued that political humor had historically been tolerated and that the law on insults had not changed. “What has changed? Fragile leaders who can’t handle jokes or criticism,” he said, according to statements published in the Birgun newspaper and other opposition‑affiliated outlets.

He also noted that his remarks had not triggered complaints until they were taken out of context and spread on social media.

His show, Dead Sea, was filmed in Istanbul in June and garnered over 9.5 million views after being uploaded to YouTube. The court was informed that 185 complaints were filed through a reporting system operated by Erdogan’s office.

Goktas was arrested upon his return to Turkey from vacation and was held in the high‑security Karatepe prison in Tekirdağ province, west of Istanbul.

Erdogan has tightened his grip on power over more than two decades in office, and critics contend that he has progressively restricted the space for free speech. Journalists and government opponents regularly confront investigation, detention or prosecution.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a leading rival of Erdogan, has been incarcerated since March of last year and is currently facing corruption charges.

Hundreds of mayors and other officials from the main opposition party are also under prosecution for alleged corruption, while the party’s leader was removed by court order—a move opponents argue is intended to neutralise the party ahead of upcoming elections.

Erdogan’s administration maintains that Turkey’s judiciary is impartial and free from political influence.

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