A popular Turkish comedian left prison after 88 days behind bars on Monday evening, despite being found guilty by an Istanbul court of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the judge ordering his provisional release pending his appeal.
Nearly three months after being arrested for jokes at one of his stand-up shows, Deniz Goktas, 32, walked out of Karatepe high-security prison, beaming as he was greeted by family, fans and supporters, images posted on social media showed.
“In Turkey… there are thousands of people like me who are detained or sentenced for their opinions. It’s great to be out,” he told reporters.
“But it doesn’t matter whether you’re inside or outside. I hope the time comes when we can all regain our freedom.”
Known for his dry wit and political satire, Goktas was arrested on July 3, a week after posting a video of his show “The Dead Sea” on YouTube, which went viral and reached nine million views.
His arrest is part of a growing crackdown on anyone seen as critical of Turkey’s Islamo-conservative government or its values, which has swept aside politicians, journalists, musicians, artists, LGBTQ activists and many others.
Earlier, Goktas appeared in an Istanbul court at the opening of his trial on charges of insulting Erdogan, inciting public hatred and praising crime and criminals, during which he offered a quick-witted defense that angered much of the courtroom.
The judge found him guilty of the first charge, amended the second charge to “insulting religious values” and also found him guilty of this charge, while acquitting him of the third charge, an AFP correspondent said.
He was sentenced to just over 19 months in prison. But until the sentence is finalized – which only happens after it is reviewed by an appeals court – the judge ordered him released.
It was not yet clear how long the process would take.
As the hearing opened, Goktas took the stand to weave a defense rich in political satire, making witty observations.
– ‘I don’t accept jokes’ –
In the indictment, prosecutors highlighted a sentence in which he called Erdogan a “timid dictator,” but Goktas insisted there was “no criminal element” in it.
“A dictator is not an insult: it is a political characterization,” he said.
“As president and leader of the party that has ruled the country for 25 years, a political comedy in which Erdogan’s name is never mentioned would be neither sincere nor have any connection with reality,” he explained.
“Erdogan should be open to the art of satire,” he said, denying the accusations against him.
None of Turkey’s most famous comedians or political satirists had been prosecuted in the past, when “this kind of criticism was received much more positively… by society and those in power than today,” Goktas continued.
“The laws protecting freedom of expression have not changed since then. But today, a comedian is sitting in a cell.
“The joke hasn’t changed. What has changed is the increasingly fragile leadership that can no longer tolerate the joke.”
In the courtroom were several comedians from Istanbul’s TuzBiber comedy club, where Goktas began his career in 2019, as well as observers from the Dutch and US embassies.
He asked to be acquitted and released.
“Three months have been taken out of my life. I stopped smoking, so I will add three months to the end of my life anyway,” he said, drawing laughter and loud applause as he left the podium.
Outside, in the pouring rain, around fifty demonstrators chanted: “Deniz Goktas is not alone!” “.
Among them was a student from the southern resort town of Alanya who recently started doing stand-up.
“I’m not afraid to do stand-up after his arrest. I will continue to do it,” Fatih Yilmaz, 22, told AFP.
“His arrest made me proud. His firm stance and the way he continues to make jokes from his cell supports me.”
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