Turkish Comedian Deniz Göktaş Tried Over Erdoğan Jokes

Turkish comedian Deniz Göktaş, 32, faced trial in Istanbul beginning Sept 28 on allegations that a standup show insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stirred public hatred and glorified criminal activity; he received a 19-month total sentence before a court released him following 88 days in pretrial custody.¹⁴⁵⁷

The show and the charges

Göktaş launched his comedy career at Istanbul's TuzBiber club in 2019, later taking his act to stages throughout Europe and America and earning recognition for his sharp, politically tinged humor. Footage of the 90-minute set, dubbed the Dead Sea show, went up on YouTube June 24 and had racked up close to nine million views by the time proceedings began.⁶⁴¹

Prosecutors focused on a moment when Göktaş described Erdoğan as "a shy dictator," within a bit about the president becoming "a dictator who is at peace with his own identity." They subsequently tacked on an accusation that he glorified crime and criminals through a joke about the Daltons, a Turkish organized crime group.²⁹³⁴

Detention

Göktaş was taken into custody by police upon landing at Istanbul Airport on July 2 following a trip abroad. According to Göktaş, his confinement started the next day and lasted 88 days at the Çorlu Karatepe High Security Prison roughly 120 kilometers west of Istanbul, where he was kept in what he described as a "well-type" cell without exposure to sunlight or other inmates, and permitted only 10 minutes of weekly family calls.⁷¹⁴

A court granted Göktaş's release in August on the insult and incitement counts, yet prosecutors secured a fresh order to hold him on the newly added charge, keeping him behind bars. Another court later reversed the earlier release order on the first two charges.⁶

Trial and sentencing

The trial opened on Sept 28 at Istanbul's Çağlayan courthouse, where Göktaş took the stand to defend himself. He testified that he had no intention of demeaning Erdoğan or people of faith, arguing the contested lines belonged to a comedic routine.⁹³⁶

Göktaş received a total prison term of 19 months on counts of insulting the president and disparaging religious beliefs, including 11 months and 20 days for the presidential insult charge. The indictment had sought a total sentence of between two years two months and nine years eight months. A court subsequently ordered his release.⁵⁷

A widening crackdown

The prosecution is one piece of a wider Turkish government campaign that has ensnared hundreds of figures spanning politics, the arts, music, journalism and LGBTQ+ advocacy. The Straits Times and Al-Monitor reported that this marks the first time a leading Turkish comedian or political satirist has been prosecuted this way, notwithstanding that speech-related legislation has remained the same throughout.⁴¹²⁸

Deutsche Welle noted that Erdoğan's government pursued German comedian Jan Böhmermann about a decade ago, and that Turkey nominally has a secular constitution with guarantees of free speech, standards the EU and US have criticized Ankara's application of.¹

About 50 supporters gathered outside the courthouse in the rain. Among them was Fatih Yilmaz, a 22-year-old student and standup performer who traveled from Alanya to follow the trial, and Nesrin Demirkan, a retiree who protested against Göktaş's detention conditions. Representatives from both the Netherlands' embassy and the American consulate were present to monitor the proceedings.⁹³⁶