A court has convicted comedian Deniz Goktas of insulting Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but ordered his release after almost three months in custody.
Goktas, 32, was jailed in early July pending trial after an investigation was opened into remarks made during a stand-up performance in Istanbul that included references to Erdogan, the Koran and jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
The performance quickly went viral online, attracting more than 15 million views on YouTube and spreading widely across X, Instagram and other social media platforms.
Goktas was sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison for "insulting the president" and to seven months and 15 days for "publicly inciting hatred and enmity", broadcaster NTV said. Convicts are generally freed on licence after serving a certain proportion of their sentence.
Goktas denied the charges.
Goktas said political humour had been tolerated in the past and the laws regarding insult had not changed.
“What has changed? Fragile leaders who can’t handle jokes or criticism,” he said in remarks published in Birgun newspaper and other opposition-backing outlets.
He also highlighted how his quips had not prompted any complaint until they were taken out of context and circulated on social media.
Dozens of supporters had gathered outside Istanbul's main Caglayan courthouse calling for his release.
Erdogan’s government insists Turkey’s courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.
with AP
