Istanbul court accepts indictment against comedian Deniz Goktas facing up to nine years in prison

Indictment and potential sentence

An Istanbul criminal court accepted the indictment against 32-year-old comedian Deniz Goktas on 4 September 2026, ordering him to remain in custody ahead of a first trial hearing scheduled for 28 September. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office charged Goktas with insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inciting public hatred and hostility among the population, and praising crime and criminals. State news agency Anadolu reported that Goktas faces up to nine years and eight months in prison if convicted on all counts. Turkish media calculations reported by the Anka news agency indicated that the combined penalties could exceed a decade, with some outlets estimating potential imprisonment above 11 years. Goktas has rejected all allegations presented by the prosecution.

Material cited in the prosecution

The indictment centres on material from a stand-up performance special titled Black Sea, which Goktas published on his YouTube channel on 24 June 2026. The special circulated widely across social platforms in Turkey, recording between 9 million and 14 million views across different reporting periods. Prosecutors argued in the indictment that comments directed at the Turkish president exceeded the acceptable limits of criticism and damaged the honour, dignity, and reputation of the head of state before the public. The prosecution also singled out routines concerning fasting suicide bombers and women swimming in conservative, full-body Islamic swimwear, characterising the jokes as divisive and polarising toward religious citizens. In addition, prosecutors cited a routine about hiring a contract killer through the messaging app Telegram, arguing that the comedian praised, legitimised, and facilitated criminal acts.

I have never liked Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not even for one minute in my life.

Detention sequence and career background

Goktas was born in Ankara and began his comedy career in 2019 at the TuzBiber comedy club in Istanbul, later staging performances across venues in Europe and the United States. He was traveling abroad on holiday when Turkish authorities opened an investigation into his online special. Police arrested Goktas at Istanbul airport on 2 July 2026 upon his return flight, and a judge ordered him placed in pre-trial detention on 3 July. On 28 August, a court ordered his release on an initial charge of insulting Islam, but authorities immediately detained him again inside his cell after prosecutors added the third charge of praising criminals to the formal indictment dated 3 September.

Legal context and rights group protests

Human rights organisations protested the prosecution of Goktas, viewing the indictment as an assault on freedom of expression and a deliberate effort to suppress political dissent. Under the Turkish Penal Code, the specific offence of insulting the president carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, a provision applied in recent years against hundreds of journalists, musicians, and opposition figures. The legal action against Goktas coincides with wider scrutiny of political speech in the country, including an investigation targeting former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu over a video shared on social media that contained implicit criticism of the president.