European Parliament Turkey rapporteur Nacho Sanchez Amor on Friday condemned the brief detention of a stand-up comedian as “deeply alarming” after Turkish authorities launched an investigation over a joke she made during a performance and blocked access to her X and YouTube accounts.
Sanchez Amor said the case showed that pressure on free speech in Turkey had become “almost dystopian,” warning that it was creating a “controlled, muted and dull society.”
Stand-up comedian Tuba Ulu was briefly detained on Thursday after a video circulated on social media showing her making a joke about Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife, including explicit language, during a performance.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into Ulu on accusations of “insulting historical, national and moral values,” while authorities on Friday blocked her X and YouTube accounts, citing national security and public order.
The case added to mounting concerns about freedom of expression in Turkey, where critics say criminal investigations, detentions and online censorship are increasingly used to silence dissent.
The Freedom in the World 2026 report published by Freedom House classifies Turkey as ‘Not Free, pointing to one of the sharpest declines in freedoms globally over the past two decades under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
