An İstanbul court on Tuesday handed down a suspended five-month sentence to stand-up comedian Tuba Ulu over a sexually explicit joke about Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Turkish Minute reported.
The İstanbul 13th Criminal Court of First Instance convicted Ulu of “publicly denigrating a segment of society.” Prosecutors had sought a sentence of up to three years.
Ulu was convicted under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, which carries a sentence of between six months and one year for publicly denigrating a segment of society based on social class, race, religion, sect, gender or regional differences.
The court suspended the sentence, meaning Ulu will not go to prison unless she commits another similar offense during the supervision period.
The case concerned a joke Ulu made about the 16th-century Ottoman ruler and his relationship with Hürrem Sultan, a former slave who became his legal wife, during a stand-up performance.
In the joke Ulu used a sexually explicit expression to describe Hürrem Sultan’s relationship with Suleiman before their marriage.
A video clip from the performance circulated on social media in April, prompting the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to launch an investigation.
Ulu was detained at the time on allegations of “insulting historical, national and moral values” and later released under judicial supervision.
After her release, Ulu apologized in a statement on social media, saying her choice of words may have crossed a line.
The indictment accused her of “inciting hatred and enmity among the public,” claiming there was sufficient evidence to prosecute her over the sexually explicit joke.
The case sparked criticism from free speech advocates and fellow performers, who claimed that comedians should not face criminal prosecution over material delivered onstage.
The Comedian Women’s Initiative, a collective supporting female comedians, called for Ulu’s release following her detention, saying humor is “inherently critical, free and a reflection of society.”
“Subjecting a comedian’s on-stage expressions to judicial proceedings is a blow not only to freedom of expression but also to art and the joy of life,” the group said at the time.
Suleiman, who ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566, is widely regarded as one of its most powerful rulers. His relationship with Hürrem broke with Ottoman dynastic tradition and has frequently been depicted in historical works and popular culture.
Ulu’s suspended sentence comes less than two weeks after another Turkish stand-up comedian, Deniz Göktaş, was arrested and jailed pending trial over his viral show “Ölü Deniz.”
Göktaş, 32, was detained at İstanbul Airport on July 2 after returning from a trip abroad.
An İstanbul court arrested him the following day on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and publicly denigrating religious values.
Göktaş denied intending to insult Erdoğan or Islam, saying his remarks were satire.
His arrest prompted protests and criticism from opposition politicians, artists and rights groups, who accused the government of criminalizing humor and using pretrial detention to punish political satire.
A Turkish court subsequently blocked access to the YouTube video of “Ölü Deniz,” which had attracted millions of views, citing national security and public order concerns.
Turkey has long faced criticism over restrictions on freedom of expression, with artists, journalists, academics and social media users frequently subjected to criminal investigations over their remarks.
International monitors continue to rank Turkey poorly on freedom of expression and media freedom. Freedom House classifies the country as ‘Not Free,’ while Reporters Without Borders ranked it 159th out of 180 countries in its “2025 World Press Freedom Index.”
