Turkish comedian Deniz Goktas has been sentenced to 1 year, 7 months and 5 days in prison by a court in Istanbul, following a trial initiated for his jokes during the stand-up show "Olu Deniz".
Göktas, 32, was found guilty of “insulting the president” and insulting religious values. He was sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison for the first charge, and 7 months and 15 days for the second. At the same time, the court found him not guilty of the charge of glorifying crime and criminals.
Despite the sentence, the court ordered the comedian's release. The decision is not final and the case may continue in the appeals courts. Goktas had been in custody since July 3, while the first court hearing took place on September 28 in Istanbul.
The case is related to his show "Olu Deniz," which was posted on YouTube and quickly went viral on social media. In the show's material, Goktas made jokes about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Islam, and other political and social topics. One of his references to the president referred to Erdogan as a "dictator," while other parts of the humor addressed religious fundamentalism.
The comedian was initially charged with three counts: public insult of the president, incitement or humiliation of the public due to hatred and hostility, and glorification of crime and criminals. The prosecution had requested up to 12 years and 2 months in prison.
Another part of the case was related to a joke about the criminal group known as the "Daltons", but the court found him not guilty of this charge.
The case has drawn widespread attention in Turkey and sparked debate about the limits of political satire and freedom of expression. Dozens of the comedian's supporters gathered outside the Çaglayan court in Istanbul, demanding his release.
According to Reuters, the performance went viral online, and videos of it on YouTube and other social networks amassed millions of views.
