Turkish court convicts comedian Deniz Goktas, orders his release
Deniz Goktas was sentenced on two charges after nearly three months in custody, broadcaster NTV reported.
Istanbul, Turkey. A Turkish court convicted comedian Deniz Goktas of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday but ordered his release after almost three months in custody, broadcaster NTV reported.
Performance and charges
Goktas, 32, was jailed in early July pending trial after an investigation into remarks during a stand-up performance in Istanbul. The performance included references to Erdogan, the Koran and jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
The performance quickly went viral online, drawing more than 15 million views on YouTube and spreading widely on X, Instagram and other social media platforms.
Sentences and release
Goktas was sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison for “insulting the president” and seven months and 15 days for “publicly inciting hatred and enmity”, NTV reported. Convicts are generally released on licence after serving a certain proportion of their sentence.
Dozens of supporters gathered outside Istanbul’s main Caglayan courthouse to call for his release.
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