Turkey prosecutors indict comic for Erdogan insult

Turkish prosecutors say they have charged a popular comedian with insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other offences during a stand-up performance in June that, if proven, could see him jailed for years.

Deniz Goktas, a 32-year-old comedian known for his dry wit and political satire, was arrested by police in early July, a week after he released a YouTube video of his performance, which was watched nearly nine million times.

He has been held in pre-trial detention ever since.

Initially accused of insulting Erdogan and incitement to public hatred, Goktas was last week hit with the additional charge of praising crime and criminals, according to a copy of the September 3 indictment.

His arrest was the latest in a widening crackdown on anyone seen as critical of Turkey’s Islamo-conservative government or its values that have netted hundreds of politicians, artists, musicians and journalists among others.

???? Kur'an-ı Kerim ile alay eden Deniz Göktaş hakkında iddianame hazırlandı.

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— Yeni Şafak (@yenisafak) September 4, 2026

Although the indictment did not clearly outline the sentence, calculations by the Turkish media suggested that if convicted on all charges, he could face up to a decade or more behind bars, Anka news agency reports, with other outlets giving a similar figure.

The first hearing has been scheduled for September 28.

In the indictment, prosecutors say some of the statements Goktas made about Erdogan in his show “exceeded the limits of criticism and were of a nature to damage the president’s honour, dignity and reputation in society”.

He also made jokes about fasting suicide bombers and women wearing modest swimwear that prosecutors said “openly incited” against a religious sector of the public, that were “divisive and polarising in nature.”

And on the third charge, they pointed to a joke about hiring a contract killer through Telegram in which he mentions a criminal gang that they said “praised, legitimized and facilitated access to criminal acts.”

Goktas — who said he was on holiday abroad at the time the investigation was opened — flew back to Turkey on July 2 and was arrested at the airport.