Outrage after Turkish stand-up comedian arrested for 'insulting' Erdogan

Outrage after Turkish stand-up comedian arrested for 'insulting' Erdogan Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Fri, 07/03/2026 - 13:08 Deniz Goktas appeared in court on Friday after show containing jokes on Quran and Turkish politicians went viral A clip from Deniz Goktas's show 'Olu Deniz' that was posted on YouTube (screengrab) Off Authorities have arrested a popular Turkish comedian after he was accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and "insulting religious values". Deniz Goktas was apprehended at Istanbul Airport on Thursday, the Istanbul public prosecutors' office said in a statement, as he arrived home from holiday, before being formally arrested. The allegations relate to a stand-up performance he gave in Istanbul on 1 June, which was posted on YouTube and has since been viewed nearly nine million times.