A Turkish court has rejected an appeal of the arrest of comedian Deniz Göktaş on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and inciting hatred and hostility during a stand-up show, the BirGün daily reported.
The İstanbul 5th First Criminal Court rejected the appeal, finding that the arrest order complied with the law.
Göktaş was detained at İstanbul Airport on July 3 after returning voluntarily from abroad upon learning that an investigation into him had been launched. He was subsequently arrested and jailed pending trial in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ.
The investigation concerns Göktaş’s stand-up show “Ölü Deniz” (Dead Sea), performed in İstanbul on June 1 and later made available free of charge on YouTube. The recording was viewed more than 13 million times before access to Göktaş’s YouTube channel was blocked.
His lawyers argued in their appeal that Göktaş posed no flight risk since he had returned to Turkey voluntarily. They also said the “negative reactions and sentiments” allegedly caused by his remarks, which were cited as grounds for his arrest, did not constitute a valid legal justification.
The lawyers said the show had been performed 198 times over the past three years without posing any threat to public order. They also argued that under rulings by the Supreme Court of Appeals, use of the word “dictator” alone does not constitute the offense of insulting the president.
Turkey has long faced criticism over restrictions on freedom of expression, with artists, journalists, academics and social media users frequently targeted in criminal investigations over their remarks about senior government officials and government policies.
International organizations continue to criticize Turkey’s record on fundamental freedoms. Freedom House classifies the country as “Not Free” in its “Freedom in the World 2026” report, saying President Erdoğan has continued to consolidate power through measures including the imprisonment of political opponents, independent journalists and members of civil society.
